Redback Mite
Redback Mites are a species of small insects that live predominantly underground, with a diet consisting of mostly coal and plants. They consume the flammable material and transform it into heat inside their digestive segment, a process that makes them glow with a faint red light on their backs, hence the name "redback". While many miners have encountered these critters during their work, they are better known as the heat source of Exarhi City.
Many, many years ago, after decades of fear, hatred and conflict, the mages of the Meridian plane grouped together and built a city for themselves. A place to call "home", a community that would shelter those used and abused for their arcane powers by the kingdoms. Carved into - and beyond - the fabric of reality, the mages built a city to house and protect them; so began the rocky development of the famous Exarhi City.
Because of the unique geology of the pocket dimension, there are no mineral resources to be found under the ground, and growing forests is next to impossible, since most (if not all) of the Exarhi micro-plane is occupied by the City. The first long-term solution for heating the houses was the Redback mite - to be specific, a heavily modified subspecies that developed artificially under the careful hands and eyes of the biologically-inclined Exalted. The subspecies, known as Exarhic mites, features a shorter lifespan, a quicker reproductive cycle with more offspring, the capacity of digesting food richer in mana and, most importantly, a greater degree of heat emission from their bodies. By using these evolved mites, the mages of Exarhi City were able to heat themselves without burning fuel, greatly reducing the pollution of the micro-plane and making the idea of a large settlement more viable.
Basic Information
Anatomy
Small, 5 to 10 mm in length, 2 to 5 mm in width. Body is divided into multiple segments; the first segment features two small antennae. The following four segments each feature a pair of small legs, divided into three parts, with tiny claws used to climb on walls and ceilings without falling. The last segment features the anus, where the byproduct of digestion is eliminated - it has been noted that the residue has almost the same properties as ash.
Additional Information
Symbiotic and Parasitic organisms
The most notable symbiotic relationship of the species is the connection between Exarhic mites and the mages of Exarhi City. In order to warm their homes, each building contains a system of pipes that direct a flow of boiling water through the floors and/or walls. Beneath each such building, a large pool of water is constantly being warmed by a colony of Exarhic mites, hidden underneath, that consume coal and organic matter and heat the pool above them. Each building has an assigned worker that tends to the mite colony, cleaning their ash-like excrement and putting inside more fuel for the insects to eat. Thus, the mites are granted safe areas to live, void of any predator, and are offered food on a daily basis; the mages use their unique biology to heat their homes without burning and producing toxic smoke.
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