Myotlings
Myotlings are a type of Mothling with a more butterfly-like appearance than their moth counterparts.
Basic Information
Anatomy
Myotlings have the body, arms and face of a human. Their legs are insect-like from the feet to midway up the thigh where a transition occurs between the insect chitin and human skin. Their feet are mostly just nubs with two long claws in the front and one in the back. Their ankle/shin area has the appearance of overlapping chitin similar to an insect's leg which becomes smoother further up the leg until reaching the mid thigh where it begins a gradient into human-like skin.
The backs of their hands and arms have sections of overlapping chitin which usually appears on their elbows and the center of the arm and forearm. This same chitin also appears on their shoulder blades and lowerback.
Their faces are mostly human in appearance with eyes that are slightly larger than you'd expect for the size of face. These eyes are a solid color, usually black. They also have two antennae rising from their foreheads which resembles the antennea of their respective butterfly species that they share their wings with.
Each Myotling has a pair of butterfly wings which resemble various butterflies ranging from very plain white wings to monarchs, swallowtails and more.
Genetics and Reproduction
Myotlings do not reproduce and have no offspring, however, they do raise Myotling children that have recently bloomed.
Myotlings, for the most part, cannot die from the passage of time, and they don't fully die from other means either.
Each myotling comes from a flower which blooms and stays bloomed so long as they are awake and thriving. These flowers close as they sleep and open when they awaken. Most of these flowers are kept in the Mothlight Village though some were transplanted to the villages constructed for Ilven's Court.
When a myotling dies, either from poisons, violence, or even just accidents, its flower also wilts and is reduced to a bud to regrow much like a rose. The myotling remains "dead" until the flower fully regrows. At this point the mothling emerges from the flower once again as it blooms. Myotling flowers only bloom at the very first week of spring (Vorkault 01-07).
Growth Rate & Stages
Much like humanoid races, myotlings start out smaller as babies, have a learning/growing period, and then stop growing as they reach adulthood. The primary difference being how they look during those stages and the fact that there is no real decline stage that leads to old age and death.
Myotling babies fresh from the bloom are tiny sized and far more insect-like than their later stages in life, instead taking on a very larval appearance which resembles a caterpillar. These caterpillars have very few humanoid features and spend most of their time curled up or consuming plant matter which is either provided by their adoptive parents or sought out on their own.
Myotlings spend about a year in this phase before changes gradually begin to occur which usher in their adolescence. The transformation into adolescence occurs as the Myotling larva hybernates during Winter. They lose most of their "extra" legs as their primary legs become their arms and singular pair of more humanoid legs. Their bodies elongate and become humanoid and they develop more humanoid heads and faces. These faces still have many insect features which will eventually be lost as well.
They stay in this adolescent stage for about 17-23 years slowly growing and losing more and more insect features until they are the described adult Myotlings. They do not change further by the passage of time or biology, but they can be injured and have lasting scars.
Ecology and Habitats
Myotlings are almost exclusively located within the southern portion of Tympi's Forest, though there are still some to be found in the Mothlight Village that did not leave with Ilven, and there are some that wander The Gates as adventurers.
Dietary Needs and Habits
Myotlings, like butterflies, have a vegetarian diet that consists mostly of liquid plant matter such as nectar though they also consume solid things like leaves, fruits, vegetables, and the like.
Myotlings in particular have been rather stagnant in terms of culinary development as they have been isolated from others and constantly nervous about their borders. Experimentation is furthest from their mind right now, but they do have some old recipes that anyone looking for a light, leafy meal might enjoy.
Unlike butterflies, Myotkin do still enjoy certain animal products like milk, cheese, and so forth.
Biological Cycle
Myotlings usually hybernate during the winter as their flowers close and they sleep the cold months away. However, this has not been the case for the past 40-50 years for most myotlings as they have been ever nervous about outsiders or mothlings arriving at their door as they sleep.
Additional Information
Perception and Sensory Capabilities
Myotlings are all capable of sight, speach, hearing, and limited telepathic communication.
The limited telepathic communication is mostly just the emotions that other nearby individuals are feeling, and only rarely are Myotlings capable of full telepathic conversations.
Civilization and Culture
History
Several Myotlings followed Ilven, an ancient and revered Myotling, out of the Mothlight after the death of Tympi due to the chosen successor being Croak instead of her.
They have since been in conflict with each other though actual fights or battles rarely ever occur. Instead they mostly just hold grudges and treat each other a bit worse while also sending spies, diplomats and others to attempt to resolve the issue.
The Myotlings that followed Ilven formed cities in certain areas of Tympi's Forest and have developed a society that is more xenophobic and isolated than their mothling counterparts.
On Nurend 26, 308, several Myotlings attacked the Gate Camp during the night by luring unsuspecting tourists out of bed and into the forest. These tourists (soon to be councelors/tour guides) seemed to be enthralled by some invisible force at first, and they were all excitedly talking about their professions while pantomiming different actions. It was eventually revealed by the Camp Directors that the invisible force they were speaking to was a group of Myotlings. These myotlings seemed to be under the orders of Ilven to kidnap these tourists and bring them back to their base. It is unclear why they were doing this.
On Nurend 30, 308, the Spiritual Travelers encountered a group of "commoners" engaged in logging activities. They seemed to be cutting down the trees as if possessed, and they had plants growing from large seeds glowing in their necks and heads. While fighting them, it was discovered that they were being supervised by three Myotlings. After the encounter, a journal and some maps were found which suggested that the creatures were created by Ilven and called Uginot ec Mlet. The goal of creating them was to destroy the Mothlight Trees as Myotlings apparently cannot harm them, and the modified commoners would provide some extra muscle as well. It was further revealed by a Myotling Refugee found in the Mothlights that the original Ilven may have been at least partially responsible for this with some twisted forms of her original motivations. This was brought up because this refugee believes that the trees are being cut down by "outsiders" as a way to shift the blame to them and making the outsiders the bad guys while also accomplishing the goal of removing light from the forest. During this encounter it was also revealed that Myotlings apparently have the power to dance and create incredibly destructive beams of light. Who knew?
On Daulok 02, 308, Thera Relovut was mostly destroyed as a result of a battle between the Spiritual Travelers and Ilven/The Unblinking Sein. The Myotlings returned back home to the Mothlights because of this destruction, but also because their leader was unconscious. The conflicts have ended, and the forest is once again at peace.
On Nurend 26, 308, several Myotlings attacked the Gate Camp during the night by luring unsuspecting tourists out of bed and into the forest. These tourists (soon to be councelors/tour guides) seemed to be enthralled by some invisible force at first, and they were all excitedly talking about their professions while pantomiming different actions. It was eventually revealed by the Camp Directors that the invisible force they were speaking to was a group of Myotlings. These myotlings seemed to be under the orders of Ilven to kidnap these tourists and bring them back to their base. It is unclear why they were doing this.
On Nurend 30, 308, the Spiritual Travelers encountered a group of "commoners" engaged in logging activities. They seemed to be cutting down the trees as if possessed, and they had plants growing from large seeds glowing in their necks and heads. While fighting them, it was discovered that they were being supervised by three Myotlings. After the encounter, a journal and some maps were found which suggested that the creatures were created by Ilven and called Uginot ec Mlet. The goal of creating them was to destroy the Mothlight Trees as Myotlings apparently cannot harm them, and the modified commoners would provide some extra muscle as well. It was further revealed by a Myotling Refugee found in the Mothlights that the original Ilven may have been at least partially responsible for this with some twisted forms of her original motivations. This was brought up because this refugee believes that the trees are being cut down by "outsiders" as a way to shift the blame to them and making the outsiders the bad guys while also accomplishing the goal of removing light from the forest. During this encounter it was also revealed that Myotlings apparently have the power to dance and create incredibly destructive beams of light. Who knew?
On Daulok 02, 308, Thera Relovut was mostly destroyed as a result of a battle between the Spiritual Travelers and Ilven/The Unblinking Sein. The Myotlings returned back home to the Mothlights because of this destruction, but also because their leader was unconscious. The conflicts have ended, and the forest is once again at peace.
Genetic Ancestor(s)
Lifespan
Unknown, possibly infinite
Average Height
3-4 feet
Geographic Distribution
Related Organizations
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