Menarma

In the waning ages there were titans. Great beasts of majesty and madness. It was a horrible, terrific time to live. The sapient races did not wish to live in terror, they could not. They built their walls, crafted their fire, and practiced their magic. They killed the titans in their dozens. The madness left, but so too did the majesty. A scant few of the old titans remain; the Menarma is one of them. Their kind were there to watch and weep as their friends were butchered. Their homes destroyed. Their lives ruined. The Menarma were butchered too but a number escaped to the deeper parts of the jungle where the fear of the darkness kept them safe. With the ever further encroachment of man and elf on their homes, it may not be long before their last oasis of safety is unearthed too.

#### Physiology and Anatomy

A great species of Elephant, they share much in common with their close cousins. In their exotic, uneven home, their great feet provide balance for their enormous frame. They can use their great weight to fell trees of similar size and break them open to feed on the insides. A stomp or kick from a Menarma would be certainly grievous, the crushing force splintering wooden fibers too. Menarma are not particularly fast on account of their great size but may briefly charge short distances at a pace similar to a human sprint. Their padded feet provide support and weight distribution so despite a marshy landscape they don’t sink as quickly as less adept animals. Like other elephants, Menarma have wrinkly skin and large ears to thermoregulate. These surfaces let them shed heat that would otherwise be debilitating in the humid environment they hail from.

Menarma are sensorially adept animals. Their ears are sensitive to imperceptible vibrations which reverberate from Menarma movement. These vibrations can be used to distinguish individuals or determine intent before even laying eyes upon each other. Their long, prehensile trunk is both sensitive and dexterous so they may manipulate objects and feel around with great complexity. Among all of the Menarma’s senses, none are more important than that which lies between the eyes. *A crystal with a similar consistency to amethyst channels the Menarma’s vitor. These crystals grant them crude telepathic abilities to convey emotions void of expressions. **The communication Menarma are capable of doing between each other is complex but otherwise crude to other organisms within their presence. For instance, a Menarma communicating an intent to injure another Menarma may only be read by other organisms as ‘anger’.*** In any case, removal or damage of these crystals causes them to become inert to considerable distress from the Menarma.

Male and female Menarma can be easily distinguished by the length of their tusks. Males have longer tusks to serve as weapons against rivals while females have shorter ones that serve largely as feeding tools. A fleshy covering of excess skin along the shoulders and brows act as additional armor against these attacks, able to withstand small weaponry like daggers and arrows. These coverings and long tusks enable the males to fight viciously without fear of grievous injury- mostly. Calves do not have tusks when they are first born nor the extensive excess skin to keep them safe. Juveniles take several years to grow to adult size, spending the first five years of their lives totally vulnerable and dependent.

#### Psychology

Emotionally intelligent, Menarma dwell in intimate social herds of up to five adult members. These herds are largely female as mature males prefer to live alone. Helmed by the eldest female, matriarchs are entrusted by their underlings with the promise of leading them to food and safety. Oftentimes the matriarch is the one who leads a defense, mentor early mothers, and look after calves while she feeds. Many skills are independently learnt or directly taught and may require calves to spend extended periods of time learning from their herds- even into their early adulthood. Despite leaving their mothers once they reach independence, calves both male and female often visit their mothers for brief social events. As Menarma have poorer vision than man, they rely on touch and broad indicators to discern individuals. They’re known to mark themselves with sediment and mud in patterns unique to the specimen. These markings may be similar amongst a herd or may indicate certain achievements. Between different populations of Menarma these symbols can vary or have wildly different meanings.

Menarma as a species are emotionally scarred. Widespread hunting, enslavement, and mistreatment by sapient races has made them frightful and untrusting. Though they normally avoid violence, an unwanted approach may be enough to set them off. They naturally avoid areas of high sapient race density and do not like their company in great numbers. Smaller races like imps and goblins tend to be tolerated by Menarma provided they don’t get too close. With all this, it’s no wonder that Menarma will never willingly work for a sapient being beyond themselves.