Cadasavan

MIGHT: 3/5

RARITY: 3/5

Herba Magicae Venator

Written by Samaru

Fast, invisible and potentially deadly, the Cadasavan have been a blight on magic users for centuries.

The Cadasavan resemble large praying mantis that stand on two reptilian legs ending in clawed feet. Most of their body is covered on exoskeleton, with the exception of their tails, which end in a long spine. Their triangular heads are dominated by two massive purple and pink eyes. Their long arms end in dual scythes, and a row of small spines go from their head to the base of their tail. Height wise an adult stands as tall as a pony and are about twice as long. Males stand slightly taller than the females. Fast and near impossible to see, a pack of these insect like creatures can easily drain the magic of a pony like water through a straw.

Cadasava are almost always found in forested regions. They prefer living in old growth forests of any kind, since these ones have the most magic locked within them. They use their scythed arms to dig deep into the trees and give them a strong footing as they climb around. They can sometimes be found in swamps, bogs and marshes, but their numbers are fewer. Really any place with high levels and variety of vegetation will be suitable for them.

The Cadasava feeds exclusively on magic. They specialize in absorbing it from plants that contain magical energy. primarily trees but any will do. They do this by extending two long feeding tubes tipped with bright yellow beaks. Using their scythes they make deep gouges in the bark, which they insert their beaks into. Once done they begin to suck up all the magic they want in a way similar to the mosquito. They make sure to always leave enough magic left over so the plant won’t die.

However, despite their preference for magical fauna, Cadasava have recently developed a a love for actively hunting  magic inside of magic users, like ponies. And not just unicorns, they’ll prey on all three pony tribes if given the chance. When they capture a magic user they pierce a few layers of skin with their feeding beaks and absorb the magic that way. The victim is paralyzed by a as of yet unclassified venom, and is unable to move and sound an alarm until the insect has finished feeding. Afterwards, The victim is then free to leave, but is unable to summon any sort of magical ability for several days.

Despite their possible danger to ponies, Cadasava play a necessary role in the ecosystem. Without them the magic levels in trees would grow to dangerous levels, and could cause dangerous mutations. Or the magic could be released by accident and do irreparable damage to the local wildlife.

Cadasava live in family groups of up to twenty individuals occupying an entire forest. They each live solitarily in their own patch of the woods, but they will join together to defend their home from rival groups. Males tend to occupy trees that border the forest, with younger individuals and females in the middle and finally females with young, eggs and elderly in the center. If a new food source is found, be it a nearby tree or a magic user, then they will gather all individuals together to feed.

The most prominent thing about the Cadasavan is that their bodies are near completely transparent. So they are near impossible to keep track of in their forest habitats. The only part that is visible to a standard pony is their brightly colored eyes and feeding beaks. However, a Cadasavan is fully visible when caught in the bright rays of the sun, hence why they live in among the trees, shielded from its light.

Perhaps the most dangerous of the Cadasava's abilities is their adept ability to control the wind. With it they can blow away their enemies, and increase their own speed and agility. A healthy Cadasavan using its wind speed is near impossible to escape or defeat in combat. But this act drains their bodies of the magic they feed on, so it is a last resort at best.

Cadasavan may be pack hunters, but they are still small compared to most other predators. As such, a show of force is usually all that’s needed to scare them away. Cadasava also suffer from a lethal allergy to blood. Regardless of the species they digest it from, the smallest measure of blood causes a severe allergic reaction, that results in internal  hemorrhaging and the death of the subject. Even the smell of blood will ward away a Cadasavan, and carrying a vial of blood when adventuring through a forest remains the most effective strategy for defending oneself from the magic eater.  

The breeding season begins in March and ends in June. Males will emit high pitched clicking sounds in order to lure the females towards them, as well as try and get any other nearby females to come to their forest. Once a male has a female he will begin to drum on the trees. If she’s receptive she’ll slice the bark with her tail and emit clicks of her own. Finally the male displays his spines, which becomes bright red during the mating season, and the female lifts her tail and allows the male to mate with her. After that she makes her way to the center of the forest while he continues to find more females.

A month later the female will lay a clutch of ten eggs. They are then guarded by the eldest members, as well as other mothers. Two months later the eggs hatch. The young look like small versions of the adults and lack their tails and spines. The young are kept in the nest for about three weeks, during which time the mother gives them some of the magic she’s gathered. Once big enough they begin to find their own food, though they stay close to the center for protection.

The young reach sexual maturity at around two years. males will stay in the same forest all their lives while females will find a new one. This is to prevent inbreeding. Males can go off as well if they choose. The life span of the Cadasavan is about twenty years.