The Hive of the Masked

Hive of the Masked

Located in the Zebrica

Ruled by Queen Hartseer
 

Primary Emotions:

Now the Masked Hive have a bit of a strange emotional spectrum to collect from. Unlike most Hives that prefer only certain emotions, the Masked Hive generally can feed on any positive emotion. Usually these emotions manifest as happiness, excitement, relief, contempt, etc. etc. Now these emotions are used as food and energy for the Changeling, this arose from the fact many different types of changelings inhabiting the Hive and they simply adapted to take in a larger number of varied emotions. However as they can take in almost any positive emotion, they generally need to keep a fairly balanced diet of the emotions. While one could survive off of joy alone, they would undoubtedly get sick from it.

However that isn’t the only interesting thing this Hive has to offer, they have also developed a bit of what the Hive refer to as their ‘Second Stomach.’ Think of this a little like a power converter, it takes the emotional energy from the more negative emotions: fear, sadness, worry, etc, and they use it as a power source for their magic. This has the benefit of keeping the Masked Changeling’s Magical and Physical energy separate. This allows them to use their magic without hindering them physically. If the need arises they can dip into their Primary Stomach to use the emotion from that as a way to supercharge a spell, however it does drain them quickly if they do it for too long, so most Masked Changelings would only perform their ‘rituals’ when they are certain they have enough negative emotion. If the tribe they live with is under too much distress, the Changeling will drain its reserves to help the tribe, before leaving to return to the Hive in order to recuperate.

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Occupations:

The General occupation of the Masked Hive is in the field of Medicine and Magic, usually culminating into Witchdoctors/Shaman. The main differences being that shamans tend to focus more on living within the tribe, where as Witchdoctors prefer solitude and will occasionally come into town. Often the two professions would overlap and can usually be interchanged among each other usually determined by the context.
Another profession that the Hive specializes in relates mainly to plants and flowers. They have the natural ability to help speed up plant development. These Changelings usually take jobs as florists, farmers or even simple gardeners. They can also take the position of alchemists, helping to discover mixtures and potions to help with the healing process or relaxation aids. I wouldn’t be surprised if there was a Masked Changeling or two at the Contemplation Hive, helping out where they can.
One of their most important jobs however is to help keep the Changeling Hives of Zebrica hidden. They warn Zebras and travelers about the dangers of the forest, certain locations they are not to tread lest they anger the spirits. Of course, some don’t listen, they intrude on the territory of the Untamed or Nature, and while it is preferred to scare off the intruders, some adventurers never escape the Zebrican Wilds.
Some work in basic wood carving skills and craftsmanship.

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Unique Abilities:

Along with their abilities to absorb both positive and negative emotions, many of the Hive have the ability to speed up the growth of plant life to various degrees depending on their area of study. As shown, Hartseer herself can speed up plant development exponentially, however doing this does drain them and almost none can cause a tree to burst through the ground when they want. The Most experienced can only speed up the growth by a few days or so.
Another ability that they have is a very high immunity to poisons and toxins. This came from their evolution involving the Untamed Hive and being diluted over time to encompass all of the plants they handle. That is not to say they can never feel the effects, but it takes much more of the poison or toxin to take effect. This allows them to easily take care of poisonous plants that may impact the Zebras, such as Oleander and Manchineel.
A few of the Changelings also hold a slight control over some other Hive’s abilities. The most common of these powers is the Nature Hive’s animal speech. Some members of the Hive have the ability to speak with animals almost fluently, similar to a Nature Hive member, but this is a very rare case, and in general this ability only manifests for one animal. Usually Changelings that show this ability spend a year or two in the Nature Hive in order to hone their skill before going out into the field. Some of the rare abilities that have been recorded include: Ice control, Discharge, Emotional Split, and Light walking.

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Naming System:

Nothing in particular here, though it is widely considers a good idea to have your disguise share a similar name to the birth name of the Changeling (Hargia and Hartseer).

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Hive Structure:

he Masked Hive is set up like any other Hive in the region, with a much higher emphasis on plant life. There are many flowers and vines that grow within the Hive’s walls. Ranging from the scorching cacti of the Saddle Arabian desserts, to the icy plants of YakYakistan. The Hive is actually split into sections, these sections are essentially terrariums for the various plants of each nation, each one cared for by the large number of specialists that assist in their growth. These plants are grown so that the Hive can learn about them and how they might be used in potions and even simple crop development.
The Hive’s main entrance is located in an area that many of the Zebras believe is a Sacred area, forbidden less one wishes to anger the spirits. The entrance itself is covered by an illusion spell to appear as though nothing is actually there. Should someone manage to stumble across it, there is a large cavern with various flowers along the walls. These plants have Sopoforic pollen, this causes any unwelcome intruders to become more and more lethargic as they walk down the corridor, before passing out, being quickly found by a Changeling who would promptly get them moved to a Witchdoctor’s care. For Changelings seeking an entrance, all they need do is speak with one of Hartseer’s Potion Makers, who can make a potion that grants short term protection from the Pollen, and in case of emergencies, it is better to simply speak with Hargia herself.

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Queen Status:

Name- Hartseer/Hargia

(Name Meaning: Heart Broken in Africaans)

Aproximate Age: 600

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Hartseer is the reigning Queen of the Masked Hive. She is an expert when it comes to both the diagnosing and treating of various types of poisons and magical effects. She knows almost every plant and how to care for them effectively. Being the Queen of the Masked Hive, she is also granted the ability to speed up the development of certain plants by years in only a few seconds, however doing so can drastically drain her.
In terms of her personality, she is a kind queen, willing to help any that seek her help. On top of that she has a bit of a shy streak, when talking to larger groups, she has a tendency to forget things, get words jumbled, stutter and just succumb to her nerves. Though she did make a workaround for this, when addressing large groups, she prefers to keep her Mask on, claiming that it makes her feel better about what she is saying, almost as though her Ancestors are helping her through it. While Queens such as Evangeline and Laetitia have attempted to break her out of this shell, she still fumbles slightly without her mask.
Hartseer has what many would call ‘a Bleeding Heart’, however unlike Queen Evangeline, she isn’t primarily run by it. For comparison’s sake: Let’s assume a devastating hurricane had struck a country. Evangeline would almost immediately rush to their aid, probably using anything she had n an attempt to help them through it, be it coin or hooves. Hartseer, meanwhile, would recognize that something had to be done, however she wouldn’t blow her budget in an attempt to fix up the issue. Instead, she would help spread the word; get ponies from around the area to help in a collection effort. She may send a few Changelings to help out those that need it, but nothing major. So while Evangeline would try to help in any way she could, Hartseer would try to get everyone to help out in anyway they could; be it grain, coin, or simply spreading the news.
In relation to her friends, she is rather open, almost to the level of Pakriti, but she keeps most of the negative comments to herself, unless something is a terrible idea, then she helps stop it. While she does generally go with the flow of most of the conversations, she does speak up should something be a bit of a problem.
She also has a pet Timberwolf names Kindle, who acts similar to a normal dog. Hartseer loves Kindle like any pet owner could love their pet, and while she can be a bit intimidating; Kindle is quite playful and loves to meet new Changelings and ponies. For obvious reasons, Kindle doesn’t get out of the Hive too often, but is happy to see her adopted mother, Hartseer.

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Lineage Summary:

None alive at the moment bar Hartseer.

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Rise to Leadership:

The Masked Hive have a fairly liberal method of getting the Princess prepared. The Princess is allowed to focus on an aspect of the Hive, be it the general Botany or even the Potion mixing aspect. When the Princess is ready, the Queen issues them a final test. This test is determined by the area of study the Princess takes, if they go into Potion making, the test will be to brew an antidote for a series of side effects. If they focused more on Botany, they would need to discern certain flowers through use of only their basic senses. These tests will also test the Princess’s ability to act under stress through one simple method, they have to perform them on themselves. The Princess must show that she can handle the difficulties of managing under the stress, but they are not without precautions. During these tests, an antidote to any possible poison or danger they may encounter was pre-prepared in case the Princess fails their trials. While many may see it as harsh, the Queens of the Masked Hive know from experience, that there are no chances that can be taken within the wilds. One mistake could mean the loss of a life, something that the Hive wishes to reduce.

While not necessarily a requirement, it is viewed as a rite of passage for the future Queen to carve their mask. It is not exactly a requirement to be Queen, but many will carve out their own mask before the ceremony is held, keeping it secret until then.

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Public Relations: 

In general the Masked Hive have a very good relationship with many of the tribes around the nation. Being the main medical hive of Zebrica, they ensure that many of the Hive’s inhabitants are healthy and at peak condition. However they also serve as the important secrecy Hive, ensuring that Zebras do not stumble upon the Changelings, or when they do, that the Zebras believe it was a ‘Protector of the Forest.’ The Zebras are a bit superstitious, but they are cautious to avoid anything that may threaten their life or crops.

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Historical Facts:

The Masked Hive was brought together due to a genetic defect with Yuzma Sirlar, a Curiosity Princess born with no horn. Even though it pained her mother (Sevgi Ochiq) she was banished from the Hive in an attempt to keep the Hive from adapting this defect. When she was banished, Sevgi sent her with a large group of changelings that would act as a small Hive for her, in the hopes she would be able to grow into a Queen.
Yuzma and her Hive struggled at first, but later they embraced that they were outcasts and used that idea to try and get other Changelings to join them, Those that had been unhappy with their life or felt as though they were not needed with the Hive. This not only helped to diversify the genetics of the Hive, but also served to help grow the population and skill sets.
Over time, Yuzma and Sevgi finally made up with one another and met up. Where Yuzma met her younger sister, the then Princess of the Hive.
Orzu, the first Hive Princess, had inherited the ability to Discharge from her father, as well as gaining the deeper blues that the Hive is known for. This wouldn’t be an unpopular trend, as many of the first few generations inherited various abilities from their parents.
The Masked Hive doesn’t really play an immense roll in many of the Historical events that transpired as they mainly focused on keeping Zebras away from the conflicts during the Nature-Curiosity War. Though in terms of the outcome, while generally unaffected, I have no problem seeing it having a negative impact on them in the long run. As many of their emotions come from living with the Zebras, the idea of pushing back with nature would have greatly harmed their emotion supply.

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Extra Points of Interest: 

Their rhyming… One of the things that is the most annoying about them, so much that Hartseer actually asks her changelings not to if they talk to her for a long period. Now, this particular part of their Hive comes mainly from their Witchdoctors, which do so in order to keep themselves enigmatic and appear more mystical. However, since this is the main public portion of their Hive, this is the thing many remember about their Hive. So much so that many confuse a Masked Changeling for either a Medical Changeling or Chance Hive member.

Again, this is only really with one section of the Hive, not all of them.

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