[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/CatDIhj.png[/img] Artifex and the [s]first[/s] second city [/center] The Oceants, Artifeix reaffirmed to himself as he scouted the globe, where most certainly not suited for the land. In the deep titans dwelled, monsters and environments that had to be fought, but up here there were few monsters great and terrible. Instead, what it had found was something far more complex. Something with infinite depth and potential. Mortals. The god reflected upon these strange creatures that were set apart from animals by their intelligence as part of him, a butterfly, sat atop the curled finger of a curious human as it marveled at the beautiful and mesmerizing patterns found on the insect's wings. With his mind he looked forward to the possible futures that might or might not be and saw what this apish creture’s kind could become. Builders of wonders. Creators whose works could well perhaps one day stand side by side with the gods themselves. He had seen these gods too as they created across Galbar, forming miracles and, concerningly, horrors. Sleeping monsters of destruction, deadly predators and hazardous environments. He was not free of guilt in this, for the isles he had just filled with insects now had a race that would need to survive in an environment not built to anticipate their existence. Even more worryingly, things seemed to be appearing without intelligent design, the power that had spawned the first ant continuing to create without rhyme or reason. To Artifex this complete unplanned and random creation presented a significant threat merely by existing and worse, it was an affront to his sensibilities. In his opinion things should be ordered. Regimented. True art, true beauty, was made by wise minds, not cobbled together by random chance or fortunate happenstance. If he wanted the mortals to survive, to prosper and build the future he had seen then in Artifex’s opinion they would need protection as they grew. In future they might build havens of their own, raise mighty armies to do battle, tend to flock and farms to feed themselves. But now, today, they scratched and scavenged in the world, marked only separate from animals by their wits and limited cooperation. Yet his insects already built, farm and fight as one. They might be limited to what instinct told them they could do, they could never reach the heights mortals could by learning and growing. But perhaps they could help accelerate the mortal’s progress through both leading by example and providing assistance to the disorganized mortals. The swarm that was Artifex ceased its observations of the world, and descended upon the mighty chain of islands spreading between the two large continents that largely been left undisturbed since it had risen from the sea and been painted by forests. There the disparate bugs became a cloud, turning the skies from blue to an iridescent rainbow of color as light glinted off innumerable colored wings and chitinous bodies. Then they became a storm, a hurricane spiraling around and down to a singular spot where they crashed together to become one once again. Artifex’s form solidified from the ankles up as the bugs built it once more until he stood upon the eastern coast of the greatest of the central archipelago, specifically on a small rocky peninsula found next to a river mouth that flowed into a calm bay. The god stretched, cracked his knuckles, and set to work. [color=GreenYellow]”First,”[/color] he dictated to himself [color=GreenYellow]”The plants must be suitable to support large numbers of inhabitants both before and after they learn to tend to their own crops as insects can do.”[/color] He swept his hand across the landscape, demolishing the forests in a small region around his hilltop and instead creating a region of plains filled with grass, bushes and flowers. But the god was not satisfied with simply mundane amounts of foliage, and so some of the plants grew to epic proportions. The grass grew tall and wild and the flowers sprouting in the plains towered over the landscape, making ants of mortals and filling the air with their pleasant scents. Giant bushes grew blue, black and raspberries the size of melons on their foliage after their flowers had been pollinated. Root vegetables buried their secret stores deep in the earth, growing tubers of immense, and delicious, size. [color=GreenYellow]”Next, materials. I shall provide most of what they will ever need. They will need to go further afield for the rest, so as to avoid them falling into isolationism.”[/color] he said, pointing to the distance and filling the mountains that towered over the region and split barren wastes from the forests with copper, iron silver and marble for mortals to dig out. Then he converted some of the trees into rubber trees and coco trees while others grew massive, towing over all below and bore apples the size of bears. Finally in the earth below the plains he hid coal and aluminum, while beneath the sea he hid oil and natural gas. [color=GreenYellow]”Other life must live here too. Gentle life that for them to master. Perhaps just a few predators. They will add a touch of danger, so that the mortals do not grow complacent Hey will also combat the wretched furry things left in the woods and prevent the herbivorous from multiplying out of control,”[/color] Artifex said, tossing out a hand to nature once more. First he filled it with insects of the usual size, spawning flies, grubs and more and adding them to the eusocial insects that were, of course, already here. Along with these he created giant aphids who grazed on the plants and produced sweet honeydew and some cloud moths and madhoppers like those from the Kylsar Isles. On top of this he spawned beetles, [url=https://i.imgur.com/C3rqfs5.jpg]large[/url] and [url=https://i.imgur.com/qmAHfEN.jpg][/url], strange nocturnal [url=https://i.imgur.com/LYebbs2.png]bugs[/url] with spiny ridges that glowed in the dark and [url=https://i.imgur.com/CQCmnmB.jpg]armored deer[/url]. In the woods he placed wandering [url=https://i.imgur.com/2nggH8T.jpg]Antwolf[/url] swarms that did battle with the furred monsters within and a mysterious, terrifying and yet totally harmless [url=https://i.imgur.com/YJlQHii.jpg]creature[/url] to challenge the mortals into conquering their fears. [color=GreenYellow]”Now. To the heart of the matter. They will need a place to live. With sturdy walls to keep them safe, access to the water so they may drink and reap the tentacled one’s riches and plenty of room to grow their population and build their own wonders.”[/color] so spoke Artifex and with an uppercut of a mighty fist he caused walls to burst from the earth. Towering things of brick and mortar they surrounded the peninsula on all sides, walling off the sea and land over a truly massive region, one fit for the capital of a mighty empire. With a wave of his lesser hand he carved and paved roads through the city that centered around his standing spot. With the other small arm he created stepped terraces to form alongside the roads, flat land ripe for the construction of structures to serve as homes, business, temples, storehouses, armories and more. Then he threw up his second powerful arm and yet further out smaller walls sprouted, encapsulating 3 times as much land as was held within the first set of walls. This second zone was left to nature with only roads breaking through the wilds which connected the mighty gateways that allowed passage through both sets of walls. Then he swiped a hand across the coast line touching the river mouth and formed more gates leading down to a series of wharfs jutting out into the water, ready to receive ships. Finally he raised a great citadel upon the spot he stood, raising himself up on a great dome of copper that acted as its roof while filling the building with many rooms and underground chambers within which the people of the city could meet in times of peace and hide in times of peril. All of this he carved out of a wondrous white stone more pristine than marble and harder than Granite. From atop the central citadel Artifex looked out upon his creation. It was vast, powerful and glorious and yet the empty plains of stone left plenty of room for expansion and personal expression. [color=GreenYellow]”Finally this place needs to be maintained and protected”[/color] he said. First he summoned a swarm of bees and leaf cutter ants and imbued them with great size. He built the ants a home beneath the city, carving them expensive tunnels within which they could grow their fungal crops and nurture their young. For the bees he created great hives in the domes of the great watchtowers that dotted the city's walls. For food the bees would gather pollen from the fields of giant flowers he had crafted, while the ants would harvest foliage from felled trees to feed to their symbiotic fungus gardens and tend to herds of giant aphids in exchange for their honeydew. In return for their food and mighty homes they would maintain the city, repairing its walls and roads when they were damaged by weather, disaster or invasion. When mortals moved in they would leave them be unless disturbed. In the ocean below he spawned more Oceants, this time taking steps to regulate their aggression and binding them to the same rules. They would help with repairing as their terrestrial kin did and their hive would keep the monsters of the sea away from the bay, ensuring it would be a safe harbor. For guardians he created [url=https://i.imgur.com/ypjkBjp.jpg]Serdan[/url] the quick, [url=https://i.imgur.com/iZvW5IY.jpg]Motsian[/url] the wise, [url=https://i.imgur.com/zXCrRTs.png]Urgath[/url] the strong and [url=https://i.imgur.com/4HkT8Eq.png]Ordun[/url] the noble. These four great beasts were put to sleep almost as soon as they were created and hidden away in secret chambers below the earth, ready to be awoken only in the city’s darkest hour. [color=GreenYellow]”I have built it,”[/color] he asked himself as he looked over his work [color=GreenYellow]”but will they come?”[/color] Artifex had realized that, while this would be a place akin to a home the mortals might build in the future, would they recognise it as one now? Or would they see a great and unnatural thing, filled with giant bugs they did not know were harmless to them. [color=GreenYellow]”They will need to be shown. Yes. Yes, I will make mortals of my own. But they will not dominate the city, nor claim it as their sole property, nor eject those different from themselves. There must be a voice of peace within these walls if they have any hope to protect all of mortal kind.”[/color] Artifiex said as he stepped down from his perch and landed on the stairs leading up to the central citadel. Before him were rows and rows of terraces, all longing to be filled by the work of mortals. Artifex took a claw and plucked one of the floating crystals that followed him everywhere from the air. He closed his hand around it, and when he opened it once more a mantis, its chitin white as moonlight, stood upon his hand in its place. [color=GreenYellow]”You shall be their eternal Queen”[/color] he told the mantis, before tossing it gently forward. The bug took and glided down towards the terrace below, and as it did it grew. And grew. And grew until it towered over even Artifex. The Grand Queen of the Mantarin gazed first around the barren city she now found herself, then at the hands she now had where her talons had once been and then, finally, turned and gazed down at Artifex her eyes filled with calm curiosity. “What,” she asked simply, “is my purpose?” [color=GreenYellow]”You are to live here, to raise your children in this city and together you will show the mortals the value of this city. Sing the praises of my gift to them and welcome all who come here as friends.”[/color] “My children? And mortals?” she said, hesitantly. She wrapped a hand around her mouth, her eyes darting to and fro unconsciously as she attempted to process both this and everything else. Her existence. Her purpose. The reality she had found herself in. Then she clapped her hands together and nodded, mind made up. “I cannot wait to meet them all!” [color=GreenYellow]”Then we have plenty of work ahead of us to bring them here. Are you ready, my Queen?”[/color] Artifex said, offering a hand up to the giant insect queen. She smiled knowingly, then nodded and grasped the offered hand firmly, “I am my king, let us not waste another moment” And so it was that, only a few days later, the first Mantarin emerged from their eggs under the watchful eyes of Artifex and the Grand Queen. [hider=summary] Artifex, having scouted the world in his swarm form, found morals and then got worried that they might die out before they achieve their potential, makes a giant city surrounded by fields of giant plants, maintained by giant ants and bees, guarded by 4 sleeping monstrous guardians and initially home to xenophilic bug people called Mantarin as a bastion of mortal kind to protect them from the increasingly chaotic and dangerous world they inhabit. Artifex finishes by making a Queen of the Mantarin and together they go on to orchestrate the birth of the Mantarin race. As this is mostly a giant creation so the below hider is likely more useful than this one for understanding what is going on. [/hider] [hider=mp/dp summary] Start: 4 dp/5 mp 0mp remarkable species: Civitas Ants: More or less [url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leafcutter_ant]Leafcutter ants[/url], only bigger. [url=https://i.imgur.com/2GuC4Et.jpg]Minims[/url], Minors and Mediae are the size of small, medium and large dogs respectively, while [url=https://i.imgur.com/YynYJMQ.jpg]Majors[/url], often called soldiers, are large enough to ridden like horses. They dwell beneath the first city in a great nest where they tend to fungal gardens. Above ground they cut down foliage to bring back and tend to equally giant aphids that they milk to acquire honeydew. [url=https://i.imgur.com/I7wbT2b.png]Hivers[/url]: Bees, but not just bigger. Like ants, and unlike regular bees, they have casts of Minor (song bird sized), Mediae(bird of prey sized) and Major (Lion sized) bees. Only Mediae Hivers have stingers and as such they act as the warriors of the hive, while the numerous minors collect nectar like hummingbirds while the rare Majors reap the bounties of the giant flowers that grow in their native habitat. They also have thick shaggy fur covering their front halves for insulation, protection and pollen gathering purposes. More Oceants, only these ones are tame, bound to the city's rules/power/influence and are also less aggressive in general. This lot: “Along with these he created giant aphids who grazed on the plants and produced sweet honeydew and some cloud moths and madhoppers like those from the Kylsar Isles. On top of this he spawned beetles, [url=https://i.imgur.com/C3rqfs5.jpg]large[/url] and [url=https://i.imgur.com/qmAHfEN.jpg][/url], strange [url=https://i.imgur.com/LYebbs2.png]bugs[/url] with spiny ridges that glowed in the dark and [url=https://i.imgur.com/CQCmnmB.jpg]armored deer[/url]. In the woods he placed wandering [url=https://i.imgur.com/2nggH8T.jpg]Antwolf[/url] swarms that did battle with the furred monsters within Holysite: [url=https://i.imgur.com/4qMoPXi.jpg]Sancta Civitas[/url] A vast contentanople-esque city that notably lacks any buildings except a central palace and the walls. Intended to be a shelter in times of trouble for Mortal kind and a massive head start for when they do figure out the whole civilization thing. The city is tended to by swarms of giant insects who maintain the vast structures so long as they are left undisturbed. I insect caretakers (0 (1) MP): The insects dwelling within the city aid in its maintenance but are generally indifferent to its inhabitants, staying out of their way and not engaging in conflict unless their homes within the city are threatened. Further ranks will increase the unity of the city’s population and insect kind. II Shining city on a hill (2 DP): All stonework within the city will be transformed into the city's base building material, namly a wondrous pure white stone more pristine than marble and harder than Granite. 2 Mp Mortal race enhanced by insect port: [url=https://i.imgur.com/EXo7S6z.png]The Mantarin[/url]: The infertile children of the [url=https://i.imgur.com/YGdLhhm.jpg]Mantarin queen[/url]. The Grand Queen is a (0mp) sentient legendary beast three times as tall as a human who is the mother and leader of her race. Her [url=https://i.imgur.com/a6DqZfE.jpg]daughters[/url] are the Mantarin’s workers and warriors, their architects and generals. Stocky, sturdy, armed with massive elbow mounted blades and capable of limited aerial maneuverability with their small wings these women stand, hunched, at about a head shorter than a human. The [url=https://i.imgur.com/2jURvkM.jpg]males[/url] meanwhile are tall and slender beings of grace and beauty designed predominantly to be diplomats, negotiators and objects of admiration. To aid them in this role are able to release pheromones to influence those around them into being more calm and cooperative. The effect is subtle and cannot still a raging heart or force someone to do something they have no interest in doing, instead it simply smooths things over and greases the wheels of cooperation. They also have no immunity to their own pheromones, which makes it difficult for them to use it to manipulate others. All Mantarin begin in a gnderless [url=https://i.imgur.com/BkxX2m3.png]Larval Stage[/url] for their infancy and then pupate into adult forms come puberty. Post pupa Mantarin have a turquoise complexion and are a bit smaller than full adults. They molt 3 times in order to reach their full size and acquire their white steel coloration. Other 0 mp monsters: “For guardians he created [url=https://i.imgur.com/ypjkBjp.jpg]Serdan[/url] the quick, [url=https://i.imgur.com/iZvW5IY.jpg]Motsian[/url] the wise, [url=https://i.imgur.com/zXCrRTs.png]Urgath[/url] the strong and [url=https://i.imgur.com/4HkT8Eq.png]Ordun[/url] the noble. These four great beasts were who he put to sleep and hid away in secret chambers below the earth, to be awoken only in the city’s darkest hour. “ “and a mysterious, terrifying and yet totally harmless [url=https://i.imgur.com/YJlQHii.jpg]creature[/url] to challenge the mortals into conquering their fears.” 2/5 towards stone-working End: 2 dp/3 mp [/hider]