Arlo Renard
Chaldean Mystic
OUT OF CHARACTER INFORMATION
- Intent: To flesh out Lao-mon and create a creature for future RP.
- Image Credit: Tailed Emperor Butterfly
- Canon: N/A
- Permissions: N/A
- Links: Shi'ido | "For the One Who Has Everything"
- Name: Chernamila
- Designation: Non-sentient
- Origins: Lao-mon
- Average Lifespan: 8-9 standard months
- Estimated Population: Rare
- Description: Notable for their bumpy green bodies and distinct "horned" head shape (the horns are actually soft antennae-like sensors that can be retracted), Chernamila are an obligate parasitic species of Lepidoptera native to the jungles of Lao-mon.
- Breathes: Type I
- Average Height of Adults: 3 cm (1.2 in)
- Average Length of Adults: N/A
- Skin color: Green (caterpillar) | Varies; they tend to take on traits from their host (moth)
- Hair color: N/A
- Distinctions: In their moth stage, females have a larger wingspan than males and tend to have a more muted camouflage coloration.
- Races: N/A
- Force Sensitivity: Non-Sensitive
- Black Mercy: In order for Chernamila to transform from caterpillar to moth form, they must implant themselves in a host. To keep the host pacified, they attach to their nervous system and are able to generate a realistic simulation of the host's deepest personal desires. This state is "deeper than a dream" and extremely difficult for the host to get out of, assuming they are even aware of what is happening.
- Hidden: Chernamila are able to obscure their presence in the Force. They are not Force Dead, but they are hidden from most Force sensitives. This trait evolved so that the Chernamila could evade detection by Shi'ido, all or most of whom possess some form of Force sensitivity.
- Say It, Don't Spray It: When threatened, Chernamila can spray formic acid at predators. On the other hand, when they have reached a stage where they need to burrow inside a host, the mechanism which would produce acid instead sprays a liquid numbing agent so powerful that the host typically won't be able to feel the burrowing.
- Black Mercy II: Outside of the Micians, who revere them as sacred, Chernamila are not much liked. While the incubation process won't necessarily kill a host, by burrowing into the host's body they create open wounds that can become infected. The effects of their simulations can also leave lasting emotional trauma on the host. Cases of victims who can't handle not being able to live in an idealized reality anymore are common. Because of this, Chernamila are exterminated in most parts of Lao-mon, making them an endangered species.
- Vulnerable: Chernamila, especially in their caterpillar stage, are extremely small and frequently fall prey to various predators. The one time they aren't vulnerable is when they are fully embedded in a host, but this is a temporary state.
- Diet: Herbivore
- Communication: Pheromones; communication is limited to attracting mates, marking territory, and warning each other of danger.
- Technology level: N/A
- Religion/Beliefs: N/A
- General behavior:
- Chernamila begin life by hatching from eggs, which are typically lain on the undersides of leaves. In their newborn caterpillar state, they are extremely small, but rapidly grow bigger as they feast on leaves and other plant life. At some point, however, the caterpillar must change into a moth. To do this, they don't make a cocoon - they burrow into the body of a living host and effectively make the host their cocoon, remaining there for approximately 50 days. As with most other Lepidoptera, the process of transformation involves their body dissolving completely, save the nervous system, which is able to link to the host's. To keep the host complacent, they generate an extremely realistic hallucinatory simulation of the host's deepest desires or wishes. Locked in the simulation, the host may be unable to move or may wander around aimlessly. Their metabolism is slowed and they conserve water, keeping them alive during this period.
- Eventually they complete their transformation and emerge from the host as a moth. Their moth form derives its appearance depending on its host; if the host was a Shi'ido, for instance, they tend to have black or gray wings. They wriggle their way out the same way they came in, unfurl their wings, and fly away.
Chernamila are spooky creatures that frequently feature in Shi'ido mythology and folklore. In ancient times the Micians held them as sacred, imitated their moth forms, and cultivated plants which would attract Chernamila. The Micians would willingly become hosts of these creatures as part of a religious ritual, usually to mark the coming-of-age of Mician children.
For other Shi'ido, however, Chernamila are typically viewed as parasitic pests that must be exterminated. Some are kept alive in captivity for study, but any found in the wild are usually killed. The tendency of nomadic groups of Micians to carry Chernamila with them has added to their negative reputation among other Shi'ido clans.
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