Molli
'Slow and steady' taken to an illogical extreme, the Molli are demons of patience and caution... or laziness and paranoia, depending on who you ask. The Elemental Four certainly saw them the latter way in the final days before the demon realm was discarded. Where some of the other demon species grew beyond the faults the gods once saw in them, the Molli instead doubled down for a time, adapting to sluggish or sometimes even entirely sedentary lifestyles over the centuries. They've steadily begun to outgrow this impulse, but it left them with a significant reputation they've yet to escape. Though the other demons often pity them or mock them for their inaction, Molli are some of the longest-lived demons around, lending just a bit of credence to the viability of their old way of thinking.
Basic Information
Anatomy
Molli are, to put it bluntly, giant snails. Where other demons have horns or spines, they have retreated entirely within their keratin growths, using them as a permanent shelter and defense from the outside world. These spiral shells are covered in natural airlocks which can be opened to allow them to force their fluid bodies into the open air when interaction with it becomes wholly unavoidable.
Molli, Artist's Rendering by Mia Pearce
As Molli are born within an initial cavernous shell, adding onto it but only rarely exceeding their birth size internally, it's somewhat unclear what their soft bodies look like when exposed. They claim to have a default shape underneath it all, but dead Molli immediately lose all form, reverting to fleshy piles of muck. How most people encounter Molli, then, is via the tendrils they poke through the holes in their shells. Graspers, tendrils, or collections of eyes; this is all the average being will ever know a Mollus to be.
The Molli 'Inner Self'
All demons harbor a sort of internal pocket dimension, formed as a part of their primal souls. Within this space, vital parts of their body are stored, allowing them to survive what is at times a brutal and unforgiving world well beyond most other creatures. Each demon species uses this space in a different way, giving their kind a biological edge in one way or another, and often a power those judging solely by appearances would never suspect.
Molli store very nearly all of their vital organs, and even some of their non-vital ones, within their Inner Self, along with a motley assortment of muscles and fluids that allow them to function properly. Though they lack the capacity to exceed in any particularly interesting way because of this, it does make them exceptionally hard to injure and kill. Even if a weapon penetrates their armored shell and shreds the flesh within, landing a mortal blow on one requires more effort than most individuals are able or willing to put into a kill.
Civilization and Culture
Beauty Ideals
Because they so rarely stick together and will often traverse a great distance over the course of their lives, Molli will rarely meet another of their kind unless they specifically seek out communal grounds to live in. As a result, their beauty ideals tend to be somewhat warped in favor of the more spry demons who they're likely to see moving around them on a day to day basis. There is very little in the way of societal standards in this regard, as is varies so much between individuals and it's not as though they're likely to discuss the matter with one another in the first place.
Culture and Cultural Heritage
Molli already carry their homes on their backs, and so instead they often take to travelling, eschewing a single location in favor of slowly traversing the world, taking in the sights, and refusing to remain locked down to one place for longer than it takes them to leave it. While they certainly aren't fast, they also aren't quite as slow as their appearance might lead you to believe, and their steady progress with an immense amount of stamina means that they can travel incredibly long distances in remarkably short amounts of time, relatively speaking. Most Molli use this fact as an excuse to act as merchants, buying and selling goods wherever they go with their shells kitted out like a sort of mobile market stall.
Common Taboos
Knocking on a Molli's shell is incredibly rude, akin to walking up to someone in armor and striking their helmet just to get their attention. Among Molli it's a ceaseless well of annoyance, complaining about the inconsiderate fools who keep doing it anyway, and so for one Mollus to do it to another ranges from a supreme annoyance a grave insult. After all, they should know better!
Genetic Ancestor(s)
Lifespan
????
Average Height
1.2 - 1.7 meters
Average Length
2.2 - 3 meters
Comments