The Optera

The optera are one of the native species of Mendail. Friendly, lighthearted, and ravenous, the optera are enthusiastic even in the face of death. In spite of their high mortality, the optera's adaptability have made them into the most widespread and populous intalli species. Optera are commonly found across every region of the Selvan, including the Kuuandran Seas.

Biology

Due to their high rate of hybridization, the optera are a highly diverse species and come in many shapes, sizes, and forms. However, the majority of optera are long, swift, and slender creatures. They are covered in a thick, rubbery chitin which hardens at their extremities. They boast two sets of legs and one set of mantis-like appendages which are used for grappling. Adult optera possess two sets of bug-like wings along with a matching pair of fins on their head. They have two sets of eyes and a single segmented horn on their foreheads. The optera lack external ears and have semi-poor hearing and sight. An optera's best sense is their smell, and it's often said that an optera is capable of sniffing out carrion from several miles away. While they lack teeth, the optera possess an extremely acidic saliva. While typically used to breakdown food, with enough buildup an optera is capable of spitting their saliva with impressive precision. This spit causes extreme pain and can burn through fur, scales, flesh, and even bone.

While most optera are small, certain individuals can grow to immense sizes. These optera are called sujors and occur randomly within optera populations. Sujors can grow several times larger than average and boast large amounts of magic. While quite powerful, sujors have become quite rare in recent centuries due to an increase in larger species in optera heavy regions.

Abilities

Mind Link

The optera are able to form individual psychic connections which allow for communication within a select group. This allows the optera to send deliberate messages to any conscious member of their mind link, regardless of distance. These connections must be formed and disconnected in person. As a result, the majority of optera are picky on who they decide to link to.

While it is possible for an optera to link minds with and send messages to another species, the other intalli would be unable to send messages themself.

Ecology and Behavior

Reproduction and Life Cycle

Optera have gilder reproduction with all individuals capable of laying eggs. Mature optera can reproduce at any point throughout the year. Optera are gravid for only two weeks and may lay up to five eggs per clutch.

Reproduction among the optera is a highly casual affair. Recreational pairing between friends and even strangers is common. While there is little courtship, it is often common courtesy to offer a pairing partner fresh food before mating. Optera are gravid for up to two weeks.

Optera have no parental instinct towards their spawn. Thus, once laid, eggs are either consumed or deposited at communal nursery hives. Eggs are carefully monitored throughout incubation by dedicated nursery caretakers and hatch after two months.

Newborn optera are larval in form, possessing a fat, grub-like body with a single pair of pointed, segmented limbs. These limbs are utilized by grubs to assist their clutchmates in hatching. Grubs are voracious and violent, consuming just about anything they can get their mouths on. Caretakers take immense caution and separate larvae by size in order to avoid cannibalism. In spite of this, grubs are highly social and will form their very first psychic connections in the first few days of life.

The saliva of a grub is an incredibly important asset to nursery hives. While notably less acidic than their adult counterparts, a grub's saliva is exceedingly sticky when fresh and impossibly strong when hardened. While useful in defense against predators and the breakdown of prey, most larvae will salivate in excess. Thus, caretakers often utilize grubs in the construction and maintenance of the nursery hive. Due to the lower acidity of their saliva, collaboration between grubs is crucial for the breakdown and consumption of food.

Optera grubs grow at an extremely fast rate and undergo frequent molts until their first metamorphosis. Using their own saliva, grubs will create their first cocoon and begin the process of metamorphosis at around five years old. After a few weeks, the grub will emerge as a nymph. Nymphs strongly resemble adults but are significantly smaller and are wingless. Nymphs are highly rambunctious and will aid caretakers in menial tasks across the hive such as hunting and construction. While most nymphs are educated by their caretakers, it has become increasingly common for nymphs to attend interspecies schooling as well.

After several years, nymphs will create their final cocoon and undergo metamorphosis once more at around 12 years old. After a single week of development, they will emerge with their adult wings. Optera will continue to molt every few years after their second metamorphosis but experience a sharp drop in growth after reaching 16. 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 health issues.

Optera are considered adults at 16 years old. As a species, the optera face uniquely unstable magic. This instability causes a high chance of abrupt and dangerous disruptions to their corpora and bodily systems. As a result, it is fairly common for optera to inexplicably drop dead with little to no explanation of their sudden demise. Thus, while their lifespan peaks at 85, average life expectancy hovers just above 50.

Social Structure

In ancient times, optera lived and worked in gigantic, powerful hives. Hundreds to thousands of optera would spend every waking moment dedicated to the maintenance and strength of their home hive, rarely ever venturing past their territory. Nowadays, the only hive structures that exist are nursery hives.

Optera are highly sociable into adulthood and are quick to integrate into new communities. While an optera may have many friends, only their closest connections are privy to their mind links. Most optera have little interest in romance and both romantic and sexual relations are treated with little fanfare. Monogamy is additionally very rare.

Despite the absence of parental instincts, the adoption younger siblings is a semi-common practice among Optera. This typically occurs when a group of nymphs forms a connection with a specific grub during their nursery chores. Under careful supervision, most caretakers will permit the grub to be taken into nymph quarters.

Diet

Optera are highly omnivorous and can eat just about anything they put their mind to. Devoid of teeth, they rely on their exceptionally acidic saliva that can break down just about any organic matter. This renders them just about immune to any form of harmful bacteria or toxins in their food. While optera have little reason to prepare their food, most optera cuisine is highly experimental and dangerous for other species to consume.

Hybrids

Extensive hybridization with other species has resulted in immense diversity within optera populations. Optera hybridize with extreme ease and rarely face issues with fertility. The vast majority of hybrids are laid by optera dams and deposited at optera nurseries, leading to most solely identifying as optera.

Psychology and Culture

Ideals and Instincts

Ancient optera hives were often led and protected by sujors, optera which were as enormous as they were mighty. While optera no longer live in hives, the instinct to follow the strong and capable has continued into the modern day. Optera are naturally drawn to large and powerful individuals of any species and are instinctively compelled to support them. While strong, this instinct does not entirely cloud an optera's judgement, instead mainly acting as a guiding hand towards capable intalli. Historically, optera have overthrown incompetent sujors in their hives with fury and swiftness.

Customs and Traditions

As optera are an immensely widespread species, much of their culture is highly dependent on the region on which they live in. However, most will carry at least some of the customs which their Mendalian ancestors once celebrated.

With the threat of death looming above any mature optera, death is treated rather uniquely among the species. For those with faith in Maisu, death is simply seen as the repayment for their life. Those who die from natural causes such as disease are immensely respected and are seen as Maisu's favorites, plucked directly from the mortal realm to meet her again. Funerals are highly joyous affairs, with any and all local intalli invited to celebrate the death of the deceased.

Decomposition is considered one of the most important things an optera can go through. As a result, optera generally dislike the burial of the dead- instead preferring to leave the bodies of their brethren to rot. Typically, corpses are laid to rest in open fields or meadows. Seeds of bright and colorful flowers are buried beside or within the dead, creating flower fields of graves.

Trivia

Optera make a chittering noise when they laugh and often accompany their laughter with a rapid buzzing of their wings.

The optera have sensitive eyes and are easily overwhelmed by bright lights. Most optera are made uncomfortable by direct sunlight and may become disoriented if exposed for too long.

Maisu is currently inhabiting the body of an optera/ayomar.