Martial Dragonfly

The Martial Dragonfly is a rare species of dragonfly which seems to come and go from Underhill to Yuriba proper on a seasonal basis. Often found near shrines, they appear around areas of latent magical energy when the weather is warm.

Description

The martial dragonfly is an insect about three inches long with six legs and an intricately patterned set of triple overlapping wings that beat with quick flips. Martial dragonflies often have dark and spotted coloration of black and brown and green for better camouflage in the island, though they have been known to occasionally leave brief fields of yellow in their flight, likely due to their connection to Underhill.

Habitat, Behavior, and Diet

Martial Dragonflies are a predator insect species which comes to Yuriba in the warm months when there is lots of rain and thus large amounts of prey for them, and they are believed to retreat back to Underhill when it is cold. Their predatory behavior is more like birds of prey than traditional flying insects, and they use their maneuverability and high speed from flapping their wings to use their legs and pincers to literally grab prey insects out of midair. Groups of them are known to even use pack tactics with large groups of insects, herding smaller groups and trying to separate them so that the martial dragonflies can feed without large numbers of prey fleeing.

They tend to be found wherever large bodies of inland water are on the island and their prey is, but they also are quite a common occurence around shrines and areas of latent magical energies. It is thought perhaps that they are drawn to these places being creatures from Underhill. They tend to as they depart the island as the weather gets cold to leave eggs which in turn will hatch when the weather warms in large numbers. A single Martial Dragonfly will generally lay a clutch of eggs of about three to four hundred, and they traditionally take after hatching two or three weeks to reach full maturity. Members in captivity have been known to live for up to five or six years.

Folklore

Martial Dragonflies are considered by their general presence around the shrines to be a sign of protection and of warriors, and a group of them traveling with a shrine maiden doing her tasks at the shrine is often considered a sign of good luck and blessing. They are thought to bring courage, strength, steadfastedness, and happiness. Given they have some minor magical senses and abilities to be able to transit through and back to Underhill, they are used on occasion for talismans or other minor items of magical focii, particularly for warding against hostile entities.