Hierodarmite

The Hierodarmite are a curious race of unnatural creatures which seem almost wholly unrelated to any other life in the Eighth Realm. Hierodarmite settlements can be found throughout the new world, on both Yehv and Namarin. They are difficult to describe or even properly render, but the closest analogy is to a tentacle monster or eldritch horror. Their main body is quite small, about the same size and shape of an octopus and possessing the same ability to squeeze through cracks. However, from this body, as opposed to an octopus' orderly eight tentacles, rise a number anywhere between two and (in theory) an infinite number, though limited by their body size. The number of tentacles seems to increase as they grow, but in an orderly fashion. The reason for the minimum being two tentacles is that these first two tentacles are critical for survival, as they act as the mouth and eye of the Hierodarmite, respectively. Besides eye and mouth tentacles, the most common, Hierodarmites can also grow several other types, including tentacles with blades that come out of them, bioluminescenct tentacles, and tentacles with reproductive organs of either type on them, as well as a type of generic tentacle with no special function that they can use as whips or for "walking". They can also shed these tentacles at will and regrow a new one of a differing type. To complement their unnatural look, the Hierodarmite also primarily come in lurid and occasionally absurd colors such as neon pink, chrome, highlighter yellow, and more. This trait is sexually selected, as the more ridiculously colored a Hierodarmite is, the more mating it seems to do. It should be noted that this coloring has made them occasionally sought out and hunted for their color, but this usually ends poorly for those who try.
Besides their strange physical appearance, the Hierodarmites also possess a strange, exotic culture as well as a hermit-like state. Although they can, with practice, communicate with other races using their mouths, they tend to stay apart from the rest of the world, only engaging on their terms. They have a voracious appetite for metals and ancient technology, whether it be divine mechanisms or from ancient ruins. They use these scraps to piece together elaborate constructions, with the most advanced being flying hover-craft, though not so large as those the Marble Waifs create. These are used to travel between the different Ships, which are the large metal towers which the Hierodarmite call home. Each colony is built around a Ship, which forms the center of the community, and though a Hierodarmite town may grow large, the Ship remains their central base and command. Once a community grows large enough, a new Ship is constructed. This ensures the Hierodarmites are always limited in their community sizes. The oldest Hierodarmite communities have ships of a slighty different design some have called alien, and visitors note that the other towers look like crude replicas when compared to the ancient majesty of the "Mother Ships" as they are called. These Mother Ships, of course, have begun to slowly decay over time, and their patches and repairwork is clearly visible against the strange metal they were made of originally. The Hierodarmites, being isolationist as well as great stores of wealth and knowledge, can be both a boon and a curse to the regions they inhabit. This is because they tend to outcompete any and all seekers of knowledge, taking secrets and scraps into their Ships, never to be seen again. This can provide an excellent economic boost to locals who are able to sell goods to them, but can make it hard to fund new technology or magical advances as the most promising researchers and magicians are funneled to their benefit. The Hierodarmites also have a generally alien culture, which can cause conflict when they desecrate sacred rituals (or vice versa), leading to conflict and extermination of one of the two groups, typically the natives. This is because the Hierodarmites never give up, don't surrender, and refuse compromise. Either you give them the land or resources they consider theirs, or you fight them to the death. With their alien anatomy and odd tech, they can usually win. But not always. When they lose, the parent Ship will almost always intervene, dismantling the child colony's Ship and taking the scraps for their own use, as well as eliminating any stragglers from the "weakling brood". They won't attempt to take anything that's already been looted from the Ship, but once they arrive and scavengers will be killed without mercy. Attacking a parent Ship will result in them fighting until the child Ship is dismantled, then leaving as planned.
One may start to wonder exactly where the Hierodarmites came from, with their curious biology, culture, and odd metals. According to the Hierodarmites, themselves, they are from a different dimension which they escaped via their great ships. However, not being native to this realm, they were unable to pilot the magical ships since the laws of magic don't function the same here. Supporting this claim is the fact that the Hierodarmites are almost completely unable to use magic, and usually have to hire outside wizards to cast spells for them. This explains their interest in ancient tech, as it allows them to use magic without casting, circumventing their inability to do so. However, such an assertation is not accepted by everyone, with some saying their creation is a joke by the gods, the final hubris of a mad scientist, or some strange genesis.