For those who find my notes (probably Freya), consider this to be an extended report and update on the species known as “Mandrakes” for Cycle 10 as I find Proto’s notes to be outdated. This will cover who they once were, what they are and a couple other bits of information. (Most of this is already elaborated on in other logs, but I think this will do. Especially considering many Mandrakes are now returning with the space station being rebuilt.)

Mandrakes are part of the “Planimal” family and were at one point the most dominant species on Planet Materia in Cycle 9. These Mandrakes were the divine evolution of the “Soddle” and were heavily influenced by the Outer Parasitic Plant Goddess known as “Mother” (Also nicknamed as “Nidhogg” to the Council of Chaos) Which these Mandrakes were given a substance known as “Eda Sap” which rapidly evolved their species into something unfamiliar. Not only this, but they could create casts and various subspecies of Mandrakes from it. With this gift of Eda Sap, they soon grew reliant on it. Becoming essentially ageless and almost as servants to their god. This very Eda Sap would incite wars among themselves as it was a very limited resource. As without any Eda Sap, they would soon wither and return to the soil. Despite being ageless creatures, it is to note that their life expectancy was dangerously low. In fact, most Mandrakes were once nomadic as their very homes were made of giant leaves and wood that they hauled around from place to place, always on the hunt for more.

This same Eda Sap would also make Mandrakes highly toxic in nature as it allowed them to avoid many of the massive kaiju of their home world. However, if the Eda Sap was harvested correctly from them, one could create elixirs of ageless life, but this would make the user reliant on needing more. With the destruction of Cycle 9 and “Mother” many Mandrakes would perish as Soddles became more common on Materia in Cycle 10. Vampiric Mandrakes on the other hand would be born from the ashes and simply need to drink the life essence of others to stay afloat. These very same Mandrakes would become one of the boogeymen of the Outer Stars and were originally believed to only be a legend. This species would build grand castles on Materia, become solitary, and become completely unmatched in terms of strength for millions of years. However, their empire fell apart, and it would seem much of their species became nomadic once again. Ancient Mandrake Vampiric lords still exist out there, ruling over those who fear them greatly. This is not to say that the Mandrake species went extinct as most are now under my care. It is the same reason I cannot destroy “Mother” as she is the only source of Eda Sap that these creatures rely on. (Not to mention her corpse is quite literally a foundation of Cycle 10 and the universe itself.)

Some outsiders to this universe insist on calling them “Elves” or “Elvish” in nature, but that’s simply not true! Mandrakes as said before do belong to the “Planimal” family as they’re both mammalian and plant-like in nature. Most Mandrakes are omnivores despite their need for Eda Sap as it's not their only form of nutrition. (Same can be said about the Vampiric Mandrakes too.) Mandrakes can also breathe and smell through their ears! They also have these long intertwining vines sprouting from their heads which can act as extra limbs if needed. As well, their hands have these bristly little furs which makes them excellent at climbing and holding stuff... Uh, what else did I forget about their biological features... I mean they can also come in a mass vibrant of colors too with their underbelly and ears. They have slight regeneration, they can take body parts of other Mandrakes and attach it to themselves, there's a lot of neat little things they can do. Not to mention their spit can be used as a healing agent. It's wild to think how many similarities they have with Fruit Kobolds, but... They also couldn't be farther apart.

I hope this helps you out with your research, Freya. Or... Whoever else could possibly be reading this.

~Thomza Materia

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It's about time I actually made an "updated" version of the Mandrake logs. In a world-building sense, Thomza mostly wrote this point of reference for the purple Kobold Freya. This was an insane amount of work, and honestly? I can't link all of the "Mandrake" posts on my FA as some of them don't even exist here. If you want more information on Mandrakes, I have it all sorted on my DA page and you can easily access them from the Mandrake post on there: https://www.deviantart.com/twistedh.....-V2-1016993812

Thank you all for reading, until next time

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Disclaimer and Copyright: These characters involved, and the artwork belongs to me, TwistedHensley. The Skin to Scales Universe also belongs to me there, TwistedHensley... You get the drill. I want to point out that this is an Epic Dark Fantasy setting with a lot of mythological and religious tones and that there is no real-life connection to any of these events, religions, characters and it is fully, grounded, in fantasy. There is no copyright infringement also intended to other forms of media as Skin to Scales is meant to be its own thing and something I've been working on for a very long time. This is the same setting where faith is a massive part of the magic system, and it is usually meant to have a very bright and colorful art style to help balance the tone.

Other Disclaimer: You are allowed to share my artwork as long as I am credited, but do not upload it anywhere else, edit it and or mark it as your own if that wasn't common sense.