Ancients

Ancients is a general term encompassing a large variety of ancient, loosely-arthropod creatures. They have surged in popularity since the mid-late Primeza Period when fossilised remains were first found of the Ancients. Ancients were worshipped much more differently compared to today, due to their completely alien nature leading most to believe they were some other being entirely, and not paying heed or not attempting to connect the Ancients with the structures and documents they had written during their time alive. The Primeza Period insects built an entirely different culture off of the Ancients, formulating their own stories, history, and relations the Ancients had with one another.

Only in the Modno Period were Ancients shed under a different light: uncovering said documents and structures, connecting it with them, and realising the importance they had not only in starting the process of creating modern life for insects but also for every other living animal on the planet, gave them a significantly more personal value of interest to insects everywhere (although some didn’t really buy this information). This has led to most changing the way they worship the Ancients: using the newly gathered inscriptions, structures, and stories told before by the Primezas, they amalgamated them together to tell a new tale about the Ancients.

Ancients aren’t just popular with insects: from those who live close by insect civilisations in the past as far back as the Primeza (mostly to prey on them), the Ancients caught their eye and soon they also found themselves digging for fossils in their spare time, grouping together, and formulating their own interpretation and biases towards Ancients. In the modern period, individuals from both insects and other arthropods can choose whether to keep their own interpretation of an Ancient, choose another interpretation, amalgamate two or more different interpretations together, or abandon the belief altogether. Regardless of the choice, whether insect or another arthropod, all generally respect the decision to do whatever they feel is best as the freedom of culture and acceptance of choices are incredibly important to the arthropods of MantaLand.

This has led to an incredibly diverse range of different cultures and beliefs amongst the arthropods of MantaLand. And although what the Ancients did, their relations with others, and how exactly they used the powers that arthropods shaped them to have, generally their purpose (i.e. some as the bringers of courage and strength) are consistent from belief to belief.

Of course, festivals and traditions are aplenty with how important Ancients are to everyone. There are a ton of yearly festivals that occur between different arthropod species dedicated to them, sometimes with multiple ones happening at once, leading to great collaborative events where arthropods from all over (who are also happy with being alongside one another) come together to celebrate the traditions and festivals they all partake in.