Appearance

Mantides are enormous. The average width of their wings is 200 feet. They, like their smaller, non-sapient cousins, are flat and thin with wings, long slender tails, and flexible horn shaped cephalic fins.

Their bodies are colored with countershading, meaning they’re dark on top and lighter on the bottom. The color of their rubbery skin varies, with the most common colors being blues and whites.

These creatures live so long, and travel so slowly, that entire gardens of algae have taken root on their backs. Many fish species have taken to living in these gardens.

Abilities

Physically, Mantides are slow, graceful, and deliberate. They’re considered one of the most intelligent species, and have impressively long memories.

Unable to speak with their mouths, Mantides communicate strictly with telepathy, allowing their voices to be heard by all. Mantides communicate with each other instantly through beautiful songs, through which they can discern location, emotion, and even how old the singer is.

Culture

Mantides are solitary creatures, only ever coming together to mate. Their numbers are few and far between, especially considering their slow aging process. This leads to many of their young being preyed upon by larger species.

Their long lives mean that they experience much, and they remember all. They’re frequently sought out by historians for their knowledge. They’ll answer any questions asked, though finding one is a challenge in itself.

History

It is believed that Haliea, Goddess of the moon and sun, had a been in a long fight with another of the gods. The reason for it and which god varies by variation of the story that is shared. Some believe that it is because of the fight with Vaerath, god of light and dark, over the angels and demons. Others because it was a love interest with a human that the other gods did not approve of. Regardless of the reasoning, the rest of the story has remained consistent.

Haliea had been looking over the sea at night when a few of her tears fell into the ocean. As the tears melded into the water, they settled into the local marine-life that happened to be there. Some of the sea life gained additional powers. One of these species were the manta rays. At first, they saw no difference in their appearance or abilities, but as time passed they noticed that they moved slower than they previously had. They noticed that the other species seemed smaller than they once had. Slowly, their backs became heavier as gardens began to take shape. Feaya, Goddess of the rivers and oceans, began to take notice of the change in the sea life. She took pity on the now confused creatures and gave them a few blessings to help deal with the changes that they were going through. She gifted them with telepathy, sentience, and allowed for the gardens that formed on their back to be easier to maintain the weight with the sea pressure. As time passed, the Mantides evolved into what they have become today.