The Optera

The optera are the native species of Mendaal. Friendly, hardworking, and ravenous, the optera are enthusiastic even in the face of death. Their incredible adaptability and dedication have made them one of the most widespread and populous intalli species in the selvan. As diverse as the intalli themselves, the optera are commonly found in every region of Selvan, including Kuuandra.

Biology

As a result of their high rates of hybridization, the optera are an extremely diverse species and come in a vast array of shapes, sizes, and forms.

However, the generic optera is a swift and slender creature. Their skin consists of a thick, rubbery chitin which hardens at the extremities and softens at the torso. They boast two sets of legs and one set of mantis-like appendages which are used for grappling. Mature individuals possess one to two sets of segmented wings alongside a matching pair of fins on their heads. They have a row of spines which run down their neck and backs alone with a single segmented horn on their heads. The number of segments on their horns increases as they grow and molt. They have two sets of eyes, with the smaller set used for lowlight environments and to expand their range of vision. They lack ear holes and have relatively poor hearing and eyesight. An optera's best sense is their smell and it's often said that an optera is able to sniff out carrion from a mile away.

The optera have sharp keratin formations on the outside of their mouths which they use for grappling rather than chewing. While they lack true teeth, the optera possess an extremely acidic saliva. Although typically used to breakdown food, with enough build-up an optera is capable of spitting their saliva with impressive precision. Upon contact, this spit causes immense pain and agony, able to burn through fur, scales, flesh, and even bone.

While optera are known for their small size, certain individuals can grow to immense proportions. These optera are known as Sujors and occur randomly within optera populations. Sujor grow several times larger than average and boast large amounts of magic. While powerful, sujors have become increasingly more rare in recent centuries.

Abilities

Linked Telepathy

The optera are able to form psychic connections with any individual of their choosing. These connections allow for an optera to send and receive deliberate messages to from any conscious member of their mind link up to a certain distance. Most optera are only able to send messages from a few miles away, but those who have trained their ability may be able to reach up to 30 miles (48.3 km) away. These connections can only be formed and disconnected through physical touch. There is no limit on how many links an optera can form, but too many connections can easily bring about severe headaches and migraines.

Messages may consist of speech or images, with longer messages taking more energy to form. A certain level of focus is required to send a message. While difficult to achieve, messages sent with enough urgency or peril may wake a linked individual. Optera can link their minds with and send messages to other species, but the intalli in question would be unable to send messages themself.

Ecology and Behavior

Reproduction and Life Cycle

Optera possess a gilder reproduction system with all mature individuals capable of siring and laying eggs. Optera are induced ovulators and may reproduce at any point in the year, although clutches often boom in the spring. Optera are gravid for around a month and may lay up to five eggs per clutch.

Reproduction among the optera is a highly casual, entertaining affair. Recreational pairing between friends and strangers is incredibly common and is typically treated as entertainment or hobby. Courtship is practically nonexistent between optera, although common courtesy is to offer a sexual partner fresh food immediately before mating.
Optera have no parental instincts and have little care for their eggs or children. Once eggs are laid, they are either consumed, destroyed, or deposited at a local nursery hive. Nursery hives are small organizations run by large teams of optera caretakers; they are extremely common and are easily found in just about any region of the Selvan. Once deposited, eggs are incubated in large, insulated rooms with highly monitored humidity and heating. After approximately two months of incubation, grubs will begin hatching.
Newborn optera are larval in form, possessing fat, grub-like bodies with a single pair of pointed limbs. These large claws are used by grubs to assist their clutchmates in hatching, allowing an entire room of eggs to hatch within a single night. Grubs are voracious eaters will consume their egg shell quickly after hatching. Caretakers take immense caution to separate larvae by size, as optera grubs will happily consume anything they can get their mouths on- including other grubs. Grubs are highly social and will form their very first mind links within their first few days of life.
The saliva of optera grubs is an important asset to nursery hives. While less acidic than their adult counterparts, a grub's saliva is exceedingly sticky when fresh but incredibly strong when hardened. Larva will use their saliva as a defensive mechanism against predators and for the breakdown of food, but will often salivate in excess. Thus, caretakers will use grubs in the construction and maintenance of the nursery itself. Grubs which are closer to metamorphosis produce stronger, but less acidic saliva.
Due to their lower acidity, collaboration between grubs is crucial for the breakdown and consumption of food. A group of grubs may be able to consume a whole deer- bones and all- within only a few days.
Larvae grow at an extreme rate, molting every month until their first metamorphosis. Using their own saliva, grubs will create their first cocoon and undergo metamorphosis at five years old. Metamorphosis is a sensitive time and cocoons must not be touched or moved throughout the process. After a month, the grub will emerge as a nymph. Nymphs strongly resemble adults but are significantly smaller and wingless. Nymphs are highly rambunctious and take only a few short weeks to get used to their new nimble bodies. Nymphs will begin their education in the hive and will begin to aid caretakers in menial tasks such as hunting and construction.
After several years, nymphs will form one last cocoon and undergo metamorphosis at 12 years old. After one to two weeks, nymphs will emerge with their adult wings. Newly metamorphosed optera have soft, crumpled wings. After a few days, these wings will expand and harden into their proper shape. Adolescent optera may take several years getting familiar with their wings, with the majority only learning to fly shortly before adulthood.
Optera continue to molt every few years after their final metamorphosis, but will only grow by minuscule amounts in adulthood. However, if an optera consumes a substantial amount of food just before a molt, they may experience a significant growth spurt- at the risk of various severe health issues.
Optera are considered adults at 16. While their life expectancy sits just above 50 years, their lifespan peaks at 90. As a species, the optera have unusually unstable corporas, leading to abrupt and deadly disruptions to their bodily systems. It's a fairly common occurrence for an optera to drop dead with little to no explanation as to their sudden demise.

Social Structure

The optera traditionally lived in enormous, powerful hives. Lead by a group of sujors, hundreds to thousands of workers would spend every waking moment maintaining and defending their hive. A cycling group of workers would be allowed to reproduce for the hive and form nurseries. New sujor grubs would naturally form as mature sujors passed away or left their hives.
These massive hives have become exponentially rarer within the past millennia due to the spread of vuruo mites. Vuruo mites are brutal parasites, invading the cartilage between an optera's keratin plating and decimating their immune systems. Hundreds of thousands of optera were wiped out by vuruo mites, the plague causing the destruction of nearly every single optera hive throughout Sulparae. The majority of the surviving population were those who fled from Mendaal.
In present day, less than two hundred ancestral hives remain. The only widespread hive structures which remain are nurseries. Remnant hives have incredibly strict parasite control, although some optera are still wary of joining optera-heavy communities or groups.
With the loss of hives and increasing integration into interspecies spaces, sujors have become incredibly rare. Nowadays, the optera are naturally drawn to any large and powerful individual, regardless of species. Optera are eager to support strong intalli and find a unique sense of security among them. While strong, this instinct does not cloud an optera's judgement. The optera have historically overthrown incompetent sujors with swiftness.

Diet and Cuisine

The optera are omnivorous and can eat just about anything they put their mind to. Their exceptionally acidic saliva can break down just about any organic matter. This renders them completely immune to any form of harmful bacteria or toxins in their food. Still, most optera have strong food preferences. Optera will eagerly hunt just about any small prey, especially insects. Large nuts and seeds are sought after by optera, with their strong jaws able to break through the toughest shells. Optera have incredibly high metabolisms and must consume high amounts of nutritious food in order to keep up with their needs.

Optera cuisine is incredibly diverse, although most meals consist of high calorie, fatty foods. While optera are perfectly fine consuming raw food of any kind, food processing is often done for easier digestion, new flavors, and increased nutrition. Texture is often ignored in favor of strong flavors and interesting visual presentation. Experimental optera dishes are known to be utterly disgusting to other species- with some meals even being outright dangerous to consume.

A dish popular among Mendaalan optera is fennelworm soup. Leftover vegetable scraps from previous meals are cooked in a large pot for up to an hour in order to create broth. Fennel bulbs and mealworms are sautéed together until the fennel has turned golden brown. The broth is poured in and left to simmer for half an hour before serving.

Hybrids

Optera hybridize with extreme ease and eagerness, leading to extensive genetic diversity within optera populations. Optera hybrids typically face no health problems and minor fertility issues. The majority of hybrids are laid by optera and left at nurseries. Most nursery-hatched hybrids will solely identify as optera.

While optera hybridize easily with every species, they experience the most reproductive success with the ayomar and paimara.

Psychology and Culture

Ideals and Instincts

Optera are an extremely dedicated and focused species. Optera find it incredibly easy to zero in on a project or task and are rather difficult to distract. Be it a hobby, a job, or a random compulsion, an optera won't stop working until they're done. Some optera will ignore hunger, sleep, and other necessary needs while working- although most will snap out of it before it becomes dangerous.
Furthermore, routine is practically necessary for an optera to function. Optera are happy to repeat the same day's actions over and over, even if the day itself is unpleasant. As long as they know what's coming, an optera will be mostly satisfied. Being made to change routine without warning can bring immense stress and confusion to the optera in question, often leading to several days of painful adjustment as they try to grapple with their new procedures. Optera who are unable to form any solid routine for an extended period of time often grow neurotic and intensely anxious.
Optera are naturally skittish when alone and may flee from a suspicious or dangerous situation at a moment's notice. However, an optera will grow increasingly more aggressive with each intalli at their side A horde of optera will happily join in to fight together, no matter how strong their opponent is. An optera will always feel safer in large numbers.

Customs and Traditions

The destruction of their ancestral hives has led to the widespread loss of optera culture. Many ancient traditions have been lost through their death and diaspora. One of the many losses include hive names, titles used to signify the originating hive of an optera. Very few optera in present day use hive names, although some populations have adapted hive-names into signifiers of their home region.
Metamorphosis is often considered to be a form of death; juvenile optera are thought to be the closest to Maisu and the godly realm through their transformations. Successfully surviving the process is a remarkable feat and is celebrated with an excess of food and toys for the newly transformed juvenile.
Freshly metamorphosed adolescents are fast to try out their new wings, often attempting to fling themself off the highest point they can find to test their flight. The first injury gained after a test flight is both teased and celebrated, proof of their resilience... and childhood stupidity.
With the threat of death looming so strongly over the optera, mortality is treated rather lightly. For those with faith in Maisu, death is seen as a repayment for their life. Those who die from natural causes such as disease are immensely respected. It's thought that Maisu herself plucks her favorite children from the mortal realm to meet her again. Funerals are often massive and joyous affairs, with any intalli invited to celebrate the deceased. The dead are often put into poses reminiscent of their living posture, allowing them to "witness" the festivities.
Decomposition is one of the most important things an optera can experience. Optera are typically laid to rest deep within forests or thick meadows, with the seeds of bright and colorful flowers buried beside or even within the dead. Optera graveyards are easily identified through their gorgeous florals.

Trivia

Optera have sensitive eyes and are easily overwhelmed by bright lights. Direct sunlight can be uncomfortable and even disorienting if exposed for too long.
It is difficult for optera to become intoxicated. Optera process alcohol and drugs far faster than the average intalli. It would require an unbelievably powerful substance to get them even slightly inebriated
The optera were created in July 2022.