Manidi

Manidi
Species
Homeland(s)	Nynrah
Language(s)	Manidi Matoric
Species Category	B
Size Category	Medium 1.8 - 2.2 Bio
Can Use Kanohi	Yes (Great)
Power(s)	Hypnosis Optical illusion
In the Doronai Nui	Yes
BS01

The Manidi are the tall, peculiar species of the Barraki warlord Takadox, and the primary constitutent species of Makosu. They are spindly and reclusive, and possess the ability to hypnotize others through eye contact. Though their craftsmanship is renowned throughout the universe, their reputation as untrustworthy reaches just as far.

Overview

Purpose

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Traits

Manidi are tall and scrawny beings - though significantly taller than a Toa, this is mitigated by what they lack in mass. Manidi usually possess a hunched posture, belying their true height, and like their body, their arms are long and spindly. Their bodies possess relatively little physical strength, and they are as such, by nature, not skilled combatants.

However, what they lack in body they more than make up for in mind. Using their eyes, the Manidi are capable of inflicting hypnosis on other beings, Oropi and Rahi alike - as well as the organic inhabitans of Spherus Magna, though this is less effective. However, this requires prolonged eye contact to work. Manidi also possess a limited ability to create optical illusions around themselves, used to enhance their hypnotic suggestions, or conceal their true selves. These powers have little effect on other Manidi. Special visors can be used to allow a Manidi to see without being able to use their hypnosis ability by preventing others from looking directly into their eyes.

Manidi are known to be extremely patient and capable of remaining as motionless as a statue for hours at a time. They are also able to manipulate their body movements with great precision.

Though they do not need to wear masks, Manidi are capable of accessing the powers of Great Kanohi masks. However, many Manidi only learn how to access the powers of Noble Kanohi.

Manidi speak standard Matoric, as well as their own dialect, simply called “Manidi”.

Culture

The Manidi are the constituent species of Makosu, the south-eastern kingdom. They are native to Nynrah, but during the heights of the Kingdom of Makosu, also settled other surrounding islands, such as Viritak and Odina, though these strongholds have long since been decimated, with only ruins of their great towers remaining to speak of Makosu’s former glory. On Nynrah, the most Manidi live in the capital of Onopeturi alongside the local Matoran. While the Matoran inhabit the streets and villages aboveground, the Manidi live in massive networks of connected towers reaching high into the sky, or in tunnel networks belowground. Since the fall of their own island, Nynrah has also become home to Vokaru refugees, former allies Makosu.

Due to their appearance and how reclusive and standoffish they are, the Manidi have come to be regarded as peculiar by many. As a result of their manipulative powers, they have earned a reputation as untrustworthy individuals and due to this reputation, few Manidi leave Nynrah. However, those that do find an easy, albeit risky, job a as merchant or diplomat. As Manidi can wear and use Kanohi, it is common for Manidi who frequently interact with outsiders to wear masks that have been modified with visors and eye-pieces which allow the Manidi to see, but prevent others from looking directly into their eyes. This makes hypnosis impossible, helping put other species at ease and establish a basis of trust.

Their precision and patience have made them excellent carvers and technicians, and as such many Manidi on Nynrah are crafters by tradition originating from well before the arrival of the Matoran settlers known as the Nynrah Ghosts, and Nynrah’s reputation as a center of technological innovation is at least partly due to advancements made by the Manidi - for example, their discovery of the many applications of Elemental Stones. Despite effectively being upstaged by the wonders produced by the Nynrah Ghosts after the fall of Makosu, the Manidi still maintain close trade connections to the Four Sisters and Xia.

As a result of their powers' limited effectiveness on their own people, diplomacy and rhetoric have become important aspects of Manidi culture. Manidi politics largely take place behind closed doors, and their political order would be regarded by many other cultures as chaotic, unstable, and inscrutable at best. Manidi rulers are expected to not only be able to carry out their duties, but also defend their position from would-be usurpers. Schemes within schemes for power and wealth permeate the average Manidi court, with blackmail, trickery and assassination attempts being regarded as little more than occupational hazards for a Manidi politician. Despite this, there stands a certain code of honor which - among other things - demands that internal struggles be kept out of sight of the public, and that while individual assassinations are acceptable, large-scale murder or wanton utilizations of the military are not permissible.

In contrast to the social elite, most Manidi on average exhibit far fewer ambitions and pursue them by more normal means. The more unscrupulous Manidi are not above utilizing their powers for their own benefits here and there, however, and those who manage to do so subtly and effectively tend to earn high regard among their species.

With their natural proclivity towards hypnosis, Manidi often find themselves occupying roles in the fields of intelligence and espionage. It is often remarked that wherever there is a figure of authority, there is likely a Manidi infiltrator not far away. In many cases, their work involves the selling of secrets and information, though in some cases, their infiltration is more nefarious, and leaves carnage in its wake.

An ancient Manidi proverb is as follows: “Nobody knows who the best spy is”. This quote has not stopped many of them from trying to hold the title, however. With the abilities each Manidi possess, they are the ultimate agents of espionage. Manidi spies may spend centuries growing close to a target without leaving a single trace of having ever existed. They live inside the feeling of entering a room for no reason, or forgetting a sentence just as it is about to be uttered. Poison, coin, and lies are the weapons of Manidi spies, and all are used liberally and in great quantities. They are unknown, unmeasurable, and unidentifiable right until the very second their blade drives into one’s back, and by then it is too late.

Manidi hypnotists master their natural abilities to control and manipulate other beings. Their powers allow them to confuse targets, appear in multiple places at once, and create terrifying illusions; when their foes are ensnared in this web, a simple stab in the back is often all that is needed to claim victory.

Manidi weaponry include daggers and barbed swords, as well as technology that incorporates elemental stones.

History

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List of Members

• Takadox
• The Recorder

In the Doronai Nui

See Manidi/Doronai Nui

Behind the Scenes

The Manidi were designed as the species of Barraki Takadox. They were originally written as possessing spikes much like those on Takadox's mutated form. However, these were removed to further distinguish Takadox's mutations.

The powers of the Manidi are not psionic in nature. Their hypnosis powers in canon are based on real-world hypnosis. Meanwhile, their illusion powers are optical.