-Communication from surveyor Dunia to Archmage Berggren
Classification: Infused Beast
Major Elements: Earth
Minor Elements: None
Habitat: Mountains, Foothills (subterranean)
Deep beneath the continent of Rhydd, under the southern Obex mountain range, lie the extravagant halls of the Earthmasons. Explorers that have stumbled into the caverns may believe themselves the discoverers of some lost civilization, but the truth of their findings is perhaps even more fascinating. The great carven catacombs and majestic deep-halls rival the work of any know culture. Covered from floor to ceiling with intricate carvings and reliefs, the work of the Earthmasons have an attention to detail that borders on neurosis. Work which is all the more fascinating when it was discovered that they were created by a colony of tiny insects.
A species of Terran termite, the Earthmasons make their home deep beneath the surface, carving out massive caverns in much the same way their non-elemental brethren create nests nearer the surface. Their earthen nature has gifted the tiny creatures with incredibly hard exoskeletons and even harder mandibles, allowing them to carve through some of the hardest stone. The Earthmasons are able to subsist merely on the mineral content of the stone they live in and so are rarely seen beyond the expanse of their own nests.
Like many Terran creatures, the Earthmasons are a long-lived species. Their life cycle can take decades to play out and so new Earthmason nests are rare. When a new nest is created it can take many years for a proper structure to be carved into the bedrock, and early nests will contain only the most basic and primitive construction.
However, while an individual worker may only live for a few years, the queen at the center of the hive seems to have no limit to her lifespan. Some are believed to have survived for millennia. Over such vast amounts of time, with the help of their elemental nature, even such simple creatures manage to develop a complex intelligence.
With no natural predators and only minimal effort required to sustain themselves, the queens turn their awakened minds to expression, setting their workers to carve vast arrays throughout the stony depths. Each hive develops its own particular taste. Some chronicle the events of the world around them in murals that can span miles. Others might depict a complex termite cultural often resembling a theocracy with their god-queen at its head. Still other hives seem to mimic the work of our own culture, creating massive complexes of underground castles and cities, complete with furniture and machinery (unworking, thankfully) carved right from the rock.
Though the termites themselves are not aggressive or particularly territorial (so long as visitors are respectful of their work), the impressive caverns do manage to attract settlers from other subterranean species. Spelunkers who manage to find these wondrous 'cities' are advised caution, as you may not be the only visitor.
A species of Terran termite, the Earthmasons make their home deep beneath the surface, carving out massive caverns in much the same way their non-elemental brethren create nests nearer the surface. Their earthen nature has gifted the tiny creatures with incredibly hard exoskeletons and even harder mandibles, allowing them to carve through some of the hardest stone. The Earthmasons are able to subsist merely on the mineral content of the stone they live in and so are rarely seen beyond the expanse of their own nests.
Like many Terran creatures, the Earthmasons are a long-lived species. Their life cycle can take decades to play out and so new Earthmason nests are rare. When a new nest is created it can take many years for a proper structure to be carved into the bedrock, and early nests will contain only the most basic and primitive construction.
However, while an individual worker may only live for a few years, the queen at the center of the hive seems to have no limit to her lifespan. Some are believed to have survived for millennia. Over such vast amounts of time, with the help of their elemental nature, even such simple creatures manage to develop a complex intelligence.
With no natural predators and only minimal effort required to sustain themselves, the queens turn their awakened minds to expression, setting their workers to carve vast arrays throughout the stony depths. Each hive develops its own particular taste. Some chronicle the events of the world around them in murals that can span miles. Others might depict a complex termite cultural often resembling a theocracy with their god-queen at its head. Still other hives seem to mimic the work of our own culture, creating massive complexes of underground castles and cities, complete with furniture and machinery (unworking, thankfully) carved right from the rock.
Though the termites themselves are not aggressive or particularly territorial (so long as visitors are respectful of their work), the impressive caverns do manage to attract settlers from other subterranean species. Spelunkers who manage to find these wondrous 'cities' are advised caution, as you may not be the only visitor.
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