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Nahhelia: Pescamosque

Aug 16th, 2017
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  1. Prompt Fishing Fly
  2. Species/Race Name Pescamosque (Fisher Fly)
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  4. Anatomy/Biology
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  7. Types: There are only two types. Aerial and Grounded.
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  9. Description: A humanoid-insectoid race, the Pescamosques are a relatively intelligent species that primarily reside high up in the trees of forests, jungles, and swamps. Their bodies are mostly covered in chitin, leaving portions of their face and torso uncovered. They sport two sets of arms, the dominant set with is in a slightly position that that of a human, giving them the appearance of raising their shoulders, and the reserved set which rests near or at the sides of the abdomen.
  10. The dominant set are the larger of the two sets, as well as the strongest. Their biceps and forearms are covered in chitin, ending at their hands. The dorsal side of their hand is also covered in chitin, raised at the knuckles with several points also raised on the back of the base of their fingers. Their palms and the remainder of their fingers are unconvered.
  11. The reserved set is the smaller of the two, by a significant portion. The length ranges between half to three-fourths the length of their dominant arm, and completely lack chitin until reaching the digits of their hands. Unlike the dominant set, the hands of the reserved set are completely covered in chitin and end in claws rather than fingers. They are commonly used to cut strings, carve objects, and occassionally prepare meals. These arms lack strength to be used in combat.
  12. On their backs they have one set of wings that is slightly shorter than the length of their torsos. Their wings are capable of flapping at incredible speeds, making them almost disappear into a blur, allowing them to fly...barely. Although the Pescamosque are capable of flight, their wings are fairly small for beings their size, which limits what they are able to carry with them... if they can even lift themselves.
  13. Their feet, much like their reserved hands, are completely covered in chitin and end in claws.
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  15. Diet: Omnivorous.
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  17. Male
  18. Average height: 5'2" - 5'10"
  19. Average weight: 140 lbs
  20. Average build: Bulky or lean
  21. Average lifespan: 40 years
  22. Female
  23. Average height: 5'4" - 6'
  24. Average weight: 155 lbs
  25. Average build: Bulky or lean. Usually larger than males
  26. Average lifespan: 55 years
  27. Extra: Chitin will usually be brown, black, or gray in color. Exposed skin will usually match the chitin, but have mismatched in the past.
  28. Those who are incapable of flight due to being born with smaller wings or damage are called 'Grounded', whilst those who can are called 'Aerial'. Grounded Pescamosques may be capable of hovering a few feet above the ground, but are usually unable to travel great distances or heights due to their wings. Grounded Pescamosques will usually be bulkier than their Aerial brethren that are more suited for flight.
  29. They have also been shown to be susceptible to altitude sickness, although rather than suffering from it at high altitudes they begins to show symptoms specifically when they are in low altitudes. Grounded Pescamosques appear to have a greater resistance to it, but they will climb a tree if it begins to bother them too much.
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  31. Politics
  32. Classification: N/A
  33. System: Although an intelligent species, they follow a very simple and archaic sytem. You keep what you catch. The first one to claim something as theirs will have it belong to them. If there is a debate where neither party can agree who has claimed what first, a group may intervene and hide whatever is the subject of dispute and allow for those involved to find it once again. Whoever gets to it first wins.
  34. As such, even ruling is done by the first come first serve basis. When a Pescamosque swarm claims a tree to be their new home, the first amongst them to have found the tree in which they wish to live on will be the leader or head of the group. It isn't uncommon for a swarm to refuse a perfectly good home simply because they are not fond with who found it first. If it is the minority, they will choose to either live with them or to seperate and form their own swarm.
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  36. Values: Pescamosques value patience and ingenuity.
  37. Religion: None. Have been seen practicing religions of others they have brought in, but they themselves do not have one. Religions they may practice depend on region.
  38. Settlements/colonies: Pescamosques build their homes on trees. Specifically, trees that have grown above all others within the area and may be several hundred feet high. These trees originally are regular trees, but once a swarm has claimed it to become their home, they will cause it to grow into extraordinary proportions in a matter of weeks. It is unknown exactly how it is done, but it is believed that there is an outside influence assisting them in this endeavor. Once it has grown sufficiently large enough to house them, they will commence to build everything they need on it. Houses, food storage, docks, even steps starting from the trunk of the tree up to the top where they live. Depending on how large the tree has grown, they may even hollow out portions of the tree to use as additional storage or housing.
  39. Due to the size of the tree, it is rumored that the NESTS of the Anjikyu were originally homes of the Pescamosques... or that the Anjikyu have uncovered the secrets of the Pescamosques.
  40. Diplomacy: Limited... but usually bad. Due to their policy of claiming things they find as their own, they have formed sour relationships with their neighboring territories. Luckily, the interactions are fairly limited since Pescamosques do not enjoy leaving their homes, except when in need of food or a new home.
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  42. Technology:
  43. Military: Limited to what the surrounding civilizations currently have.
  44. Civilian/Public: Whatever they claim, as long as they were first, they can keep. Rulers may limit what can be used, but cannot ban items without majority approval, as this may lead to an early split which may be detrimental to both the group and the settlement.
  45. Overview: Although Pescamosques value ingenuity, they do not have a strong history of inventing their own creations. They lean more towards... accidental robbery. Their ingenuity lies more in being able to solve immediate issues with items they have at hand. As such, most, if not all their technological advances are usually obtained through neighboring civilizations. They are capable of manufacturing their own items, as they have been seen making their own simple tools, usually they will find what they need and claim it as theirs first.
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  47. Traditions: Pescamosques, although commonly associated as thieves by others, do not like stealing. Especially amongst themselves. In order to prevent such things, they will mark things that they have claimed to belong to them. These markings will vary between them, the most common would be to carve out their initials into the object itself and to then spit on the carved area. Their saliva containes unique pheromones that allow others to recognize who it belongs to. The item will have a name or symbol and scent associated with it, and thus signal to others that it is claimed. If the item is too small or difficult to carve into, it can be placed within a pouch or have a ribbon tied to it which features a symbol and has also been spat on. There are also times when one only wishes to borrow or temporarily own something, to which they will only spit on it and not have their initials on it. When the scent fades, it is open to anyone once again.
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  49. The other commonly associated aspects of the Pescamosques is their hunting methods. While some will venture downwards to the earth and hunt in the traditional sense, most Pescamosques will fish... on land... in their tree. Seated on the docks they have built upon the branches of their giant tree home, Pescamosques will cast down a line that reaches the ground and wait for a bite to pull their catch up. Some will use rods similar to traditional fishing rods, others will simply cast a rope and pull it with their bare hands, and on rare occasions some will install pulleys or cranes to act as their rods. Depending on what they're hunting, their bait will vary. If it's for food, they will bait it using scraps or small animals. If it's for something else, such as a mate, the bait tends to be significantly more varied.
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  51. Pescamosques have a very low male to female ratio, ranging around 1:5 depending on location. This makes polygamy amongst them a somewhat regular occurence. Even so, neither the males nor the females are too fond of it, so females will fish for a compatible mate. In order to capture one, they will usually find something a wanderer would find useful or want, which they will then use as bait. With it, they coat it in a special liquid made from their distilled saliva, an adhesive compound that reacts exclusively to either skin, fur, or chitin depending on the methods used. If the glue accidentally dries on something it was not meant to, the most common solvent to remove it is treesap, oddly enough. After doing so, the fishing begins.
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  53. A Pescamosque female longing for a mate will sit there for days until she finally manages to catch someone (or something) they desire. Once she does though, she will pull them up onto the dock and immediately spit on their face to claim them as theirs before anyone tries. After doing so, she will judge if her catch is worth keeping. If so, she will strip the being naked and inspect their body, both to ensure that she truly does desire to keep them as a mate and to check for ownership through markings or tags. If none can be spotted, she will immediately take them home in order mark them as their own. If not, she will either toss them back or sell him at the daily auction to another Pescamosque who has not acquired a mate (or desires another one) yet. And by 'tossing back', it does not mean she will return them to the ground. She simply tell them to go on their own and to no longer bother her (if they are of intelligence).
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  55. Potential mates who have been tossed back are allowed to freely roam the Pescamosque village set on the tree... at least until the pheromones on their face can no longer be smelled. Once that occurs, they are at the mercy of the next one who goes up to them and spits in their face. At that point, they will then belong to the most recent spitter who will decide what to do with them.
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  57. It is possible for one that has only been temporarily marked to return to the ground using the winding staircase that goes along the edge of the tree, but it is a long journey, and difficult for those that are not prepared. The majority who try end up being picked up by one of the Grounded who are making their way up and becoming marked by them.
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  59. Marking varies between village and individual, but the most common method is generally painless. The Pescamosque will combine their saliva with tree sap and several other ingredients along with fluids from the mate as well. This varies between sweat, blood, or saliva. Once the concoction has been made, the Pescamosque will dip one (or all) of their hands/claws into the mix and press it against their mate. The liquid will seep into the body and discolor it permanently. The spot will contantly release pheromones of the marker to signal that the marked being is owned so as to prevent others from claiming them as their own. Some of the more skilled Pescamosques will even sign their names under the mark using their small claws and only a few drops of the mixture.
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  62. Conflicts/Issues: One of the major issues with their race is their belief that anything can be owned, including themselves. Not only that, but along with their unique method of claiming ownership, many believe that the race consists of nothing but kleptomaniacs. They have also been accused of kidnapping and enslaving people. Although technically true on both accounts, it's not very difficult to prevent oneself from being caught or from escaping 'captivity', and it's closer to a forced marriage than enslavement. And the real issue isn't the tree, it's escaping the one who has marked them. Due to their mark, they can easily be traced back by the trail left behind from the one who had been marked, and due to their great strength, no one will try to part the two from each other.
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  64. History:N/A
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