[✗] [Creature Lore] The Colossal Beetle

[cappor 545]

| The Colossal Beetle |

 

 

Basic Information

 

 

The Colossal Beetle is as the name implies, a colossal beetle. On average, an adult  measures at two and a half meter long and one meter tall, though may vary depending on each subspecies and it’s  inhabited lands. Due to the beetle's exceptionally tough and resilient exoskeleton, along with it’s natural instinct of isolation, it’s survived in the wild for multiple thousands of years with ease. These creatures stay in colonies, which can be seen as large as seventy-five but average thirty-five. A clear distinction of the sub-species of Colossal Beetle are their colors and traits that have allowed them to thrive in their conditions.

 

 While the Colossal Beetle has widespread availability the majority of the time, for about seven months every eleven years these creatures go into hiding. Though keep in mind, just untamed beetles go to hiding while tamed ones do not, limiting the availability of these insects during this time period.

 

Subspecies

 

 

Inferno (Red)

The Inferno beetle are found deep within the cracks and crevasses of volcanoes and caves. These beetles make for the shortest Colossal Beetle, standing at a height of just two and a half feet. The beetles natural short statured helps them climb in the rough and jagged terrain. The Inferno Beetle is also the most aggressive of the Colossal family, and are found to be near impossible to tame not only because of their aggravation, but also their location.

 

Azure (Blue)

 

The Azure Beetles inhabit the swamp trees and submerged roots. These insects make for great swimmers, but mostly stay in shallow waters and go no deeper than four hundred meters.  Below their elytra the beetles hold an air bubble that allows these insects to easily traverse the waters, only having to surface for air every few hours. The Azure Beetle are the most tranquil of the Colossal Beetle family, and are often tamed by fishermen.

 

Verdant (Green)

 

The Verdant Beetle live in the tallest grove trees within the toughest bark. For hundreds of years each tree has held the same colony of these Beetles, only leaving on a rare occasion. A strong adhesive can be found on the footpads of these insects which helps climb the strongest bark and tallest trees. These beetles are perfect for roaming the dense forests and are often seen mounted by those who dwell in the trees.

 

Boreal (White)

 

And the last of the Colossal Beetle subspecies are the Boreal Beetles. These beetles are the only of the family who live completely underground, dwelling in the deep roots of chilling spruce trees. The Boreal Beetles were originally discovered in the Atlas realm, though not long later went back into hiding after the great blizzard. Not much is known of these beetles in the current day, some suspect they’ve even gone extinct.

 

History

 

 

Many hundred years back, in the realm of Athera, the Colossal Beetle was found deep within the bark of a vast natural grove tree. As time continued, more of these beetles were being discovered in all corners of the land. It hadn’t taken much time before it was attempted to tame a Colossal Beetle, though it was soon discovered it was nearly impossible to do so with an adult. Although, taking a baby beetle and raising it in a new environment seemed to give the beetle a different behavior. Once these beetles were raised to adults, they were used to haul resources across vast lands. Because of their lack of required food and water, and ability to climb rough terrain, the beetles could travel non-stop for days on end. These insects were quickly adopted by merchants, farmers, and fighters all alike.

 

Taming

 

The process of taming a Colossal Beetle can be tedious, though if done right can result in a loyal worker and companion. To begin the process, one must steal a young beetle from it’s colony, of course without dying. It’s known that adult beetles are hostile to colony outsiders, and are especially angered when someone/something enters their territory. It’s important to remember unborn beetles cannot be taken to be raised, as they will die outside of the colony at such a young age. It’s best to try and take a few beetles at a time or else they may not grow with a calming behavior. Once you have the beetles they must be kept in the same environment they live in. For example, if you take Azure Beetles you must keep them in or next to a body of water. The tamer must grow a good relationship with the beetle and gain it’s trust. This is an important step, as the beetles may not become loyal to their owner if not done correctly. The taming process may take decades to fully complete, though it takes just roughly eight years to

 

Life Cycle

The Colossal Beetle life cycle begins as almost every insect does, an egg. It takes about eight months until it hatches to a larva where it’ll stay in this state for another eight months. Once it’s finally out of the larva it enters the pupa stage, where the beetles finally grow into children. The process of maturing from a child to an adult will take around eight years. In the children's stage of the Colossal Beetle's life, it spends its time in the colony, not entering the outside world until it becomes a full grown adult. At around ten years the beetle enters adulthood and leaves the colony for the first time to bring food and resources to those inside. These creatures live for about fifty years, though anything above forty-two is considered elderly and unfit to continue serving the colony.

 

Spoiler

Red Lines

 

These Colossal Beetle cannot live past the age of fifty-five

 

Although carrying wings on their backs, Colossal Beetles are unable to fly

 

Colossal Beetles can only get as large as three meters tall and one and a half meters tall.

 

 Only two to three eggs are laid at a time each five years

 

Only weights upwards of one ton can be hauled on the Colossal Beetles back

 

Their speed is limited to just twenty mph, though even that is considered very fast

 

 

Spoiler

Combat Red Lines

 

The bite of a beetle cannot tear limbs or cause any permanent damage

 

In combat, all subspecies of the beetle are just mountable, except for the Inferno Beetle which can leave a terrible sting moments after being bit

 

The Colossal Beetle cannot be used in player combat, just events. ex. hunts and against other entities

 

All beetles can withstand a powerful amount of force due to their hard exoskeleton

 

 

[Pintape 116]

+1, This is pretty sick

[ManaBreaker 41]

Poggers

 

[AmericanSimp 510]

+1 I love this thing, but you'll probably want to look into going into a bit more detail on redlines. Especially combat related one, i.e. is it treated the same as a horse, or does it have some benefits etc. If it has benefits, what makes it harder to find/tame. 

[cappor 545]

40 minutes ago, AmericanSimp said:

+1 I love this thing, but you'll probably want to look into going into a bit more detail on redlines. Especially combat related one, i.e. is it treated the same as a horse, or does it have some benefits etc. If it has benefits, what makes it harder to find/tame. 

I appreciate the feedback!

 

I went ahead and added general combat red lines.

[GhostSHTR 1002]

+1 Giant Bugs? I see nothing going wrong......aside from my sarcasm, really great post

[squakhawk 7871]

This lore has been denied. 

 

 

We're looking to tighten standards on Eco Creatures given the slow overgrowth of posts which have occurred, while we are looking to fill out our world with unique and interesting creatures alongside the mundane, this creature is far too similar to a piece accepted some time ago called the Dwarven Riding Beetle, which fills this piece's intended niche quite nicely. In any case, thank you for your submission.