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Mini Mites
Type: Familiar
Magic Type: Support
Size: Small
Temperament: Skittish but usually friendly
Visual Exceptions
Mini Mites can have slight hue shift to the design and markings can be lightly changed but still must represent the Mite as the type it is. Players can have their stickits wear accessories or have injuries as desired.
To learn more about familiars take a look at the familiars info page.
Mini Mite Lore
Mini Mites were thought to live exclusively on Karoxza for many years but more recent discoveries have found that they actually are a space fairing creature and eat the natural metals and gems found in meteors and other floating space rocks. When these space rocks are caught in the gravitational pull of planets and then later crash on the surface, the Mini Mites then seek shelter and food on this new planet. They usually live deep down in caves and mines. Their ability to fit in small spaces, lack of desire to go to the surface means that a planet can have Mini Mites for centuries and local sentient beings would never realize.
Their life cycle is still a bit of a mystery but it is thought that they can live for very long periods of time, perhaps thousands of years. If a Mini Mite is not getting good sources of minerals or ores from the environment around them, the hard gem like 'shell' on their limbs, back, and head will become dull and eventually crack. Usually they will just change locations to find one that is more plentiful before this happens but occasionally they get trapped and are unable to get to a new mine or tunnel. When this happens they can usually emit a low frequency 'hum' to attract a Mega Mite to come and help them.
Mini Mites are very connected to the environment they live in and their diet can greatly influence their appearance and patterns. They also have a good sense of the integrity of the mines and tunnels around them. If a Mini Mite senses a tunnel collapse coming they will start to head towards safer tunnels while snapping their jaws together, resulting is a 'knocking' sound. Miners are very aware of these sounds and know to leave a tunnel quickly if they hear these 'knocking' sounds.
Large colonies of Mini Mites were once thought to be a problem since they would eat precious gems and ores, it was actually discovered the end product that was coughed up by Mini Mites was a more pure and durable version of what they originally ate. Their rounded teeth and powerful jaws are able to crunch through their preferred foods and once inside their stomachs, all the impurities are removed, at which point the mite will cough it up and rebury it. Dirt samples taken from these mines were found to be richer and more sustainable for other life that makes their homes around Mini Mite colonies.
Their skittish but friendly nature has led them to become a welcome companion for some Shirefolk, and others collect them, feed them rare diets, and then show off their Mini Mites in competitions. Their full utility has not been fully discovered yet but researchers at the SPA and Corpivain are putting large amounts of funding to see what kind of impact these little creatures can make for the Cheshire system.
Mini Mite Types
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-'Gem' Type Mini Mites Often can raise a gem to a higher quality if they eat it and cough it back up. This Mini Mite is the most prized for those that like to show them in competitions. The gem type they are fed often determines the colors on their shells.
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-'Ore' Type Mini Mites Love to chew on metals and ores with the ability to make them completely free from impurities when they cough them back up. They are prized by jewelers and in high demand on Tollum by the local artisans. Their shells are often incredibly hard and metallic in nature.
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-'Rock' Type Mini Mites The most common type of Mini Mite. This Mite is favored by botanists since they can ingest different types of soil or rock and cough up a richer and more healthy soil or rock type. Seeds or plants that are put into this soil are known to grow faster, larger, and produce more blooms, fruit, or produce.
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-'Refined Metal' Type Mini Mite INFO PENDING