Hailing from the western reaches of the Black Dragonflight’s territory, the Manticore are a curious and, at the same time, dangerous race. They appear mammalian, despite the female’s lack of breasts, and this can easily confuse even the most learned of men. The Manticore hail from the Western Mana Vaults, a series of subterranean tunnels and passages carved out by heavy water flow which are rich with magical metals of all kinds, most notably Mithril. The Manticore are actually a highly magically mutated evolution of scorpions.

Manticore breed much like many other humanoid species, and are even capable of interbreeding with several species including the Gnolls, due to their magically enhanced evolutionary steps. Females usually birth one ‘cub’ at a time after a gestation period of roughly seven to nine months, depending on the father species, and their young are born with small teeth which can eat the mushrooms which are plentiful within their caves. Female Manticore who do not dwell within the Mana Vaults will often have a basement dug out in their home for them to grow their own mushroom farm. It has been noted that this is an involuntary action for female Manticore, and it has been attributed to survival and maternal instinct, regardless of the female’s maternal status.

Manticore are also blessed with complete immunity to any form of poisoning, be it venom, poison, or toxicity. This, also, has been attributed to their magical evolution, and for this reason they were selected by Saoirse, the Titan of Freedom, to be one of her favoured ‘Children Races’. They are also the world’s greatest smiths of Mithril goods, and the best Mana Peppers come from Manticore Mithril planters and pots.

The Manticore’s own stinger venom is a marvellous example of magical interference, if their already heavily mutated bodies were not, in that each individual’s venom is unique, and that while it cannot kill them, they can feel the effects of their own stinger’s potent venom. Another interesting attribute is that, should it be heated to one-hundred degrees centigrade, its venomous properties are destroyed and it becomes, to many who have used it, incredibly tasty.

It’s even used for a powerful and oddly sweet alcoholic drink called ‘Stinger’s Brew’.

Public baths are commonplace in Manticore society, and have spread to human settlements as well, and most Manticore are unashamed of what humans call ‘public indecency.’ Nudity is common in the Mana Vaults, and some parts of the caves are specifically restricted for those beneath breeding age for purposes beyond simply being unclothed.

The Manticore portrayed is called Ucibmareth (roughly translated her name means ‘Sting of the Final Breath’.) She was reluctant to pose for the image -not because of her lack of clothing, but because she had to leave her store unattended for a few minutes. She’s actually a somewhat underfed example of her species, though she does sell her own venom at a reasonable twenty gold bits -one must provide proof of age first, as she will not sell it to anyone below legal age.

It’s a wise policy.