Mimics
Metamorphic Creatures
Mimics are transforming animals found across the world, hiding their true appearance to ward off danger and lure in its prey. Mimics are not a species, but are instead a genus of a family that also may include Changelings, with whom Mimics share many traits. The word mimic comes from the God Mimir, who also created the creature, but also because the God of Secrets commonly disguised himself or mimicked others before he created this tricky beasts. 
Different species of mimic have different preferred habitats, as each is the product of not just their own adaptation, but the adaptation of many mimics that had adapted to the environment since they migrated there.
A Zherarian Mimic could adapt if brought into the Uncharted Desert, but it would struggle and lash out.
Modan Mimics can adapt to any surroundings, but simply refuse to.
Ishadan Mimics, on the other hand, can survive in any climate or habitat, and do not seem upset no matter what situation they are placed into.
Mimir by Jarhed
Mimic Anatomy
Despite having differences between species (some minor ones detailed in the sidebar), most Mimics share similar traits and nearly identical basic anatomy. They are lizardlike creatures, perhaps modeled after the Metallic Dragon Lords, who were capable of shapeshifting as well. Mimir's project, unlike Phrixus, was not as successful, because mimics do not naturally have any limbs, and their scales are soft and colorless. They have small mouths, long tongues, and no eyes, able to breathe and do nothing else. Luckily for these poor creatures, they can shapeshift, or else they would have died without a chance.Shapeshifting
The soft scales of mimics house a malleable body within them, which can change into any shape as the mimic wills to change. It is said that mimics have no bones, and that the magic of their bodies allows the soft skin to take on any shape and property it pleases. The only two limitations are that mimics can only change into things they have seen before (as these are still nonsentient creatures, they don't have much intelligence or imagination, so creating new images is nearly impossible), and that they can only take on physical attributes of things, meaning that if they turn into a person, they cannot talk like them or perform any magical feats the person may be capable of. They can, however, repeat back words said to them in the exact voice they were said, resembling the Monstruo de Eco in that ability, and some domesticated mimics have been trained to say every word the owner knows, though even then, they can't hold a conversation.Scales
Mimic scales are easy to pierce, as they are soft and full of holes. The flesh of the mimic pours out of the holes when it shapeshifts, with the scales then becoming the internal organs of the mimic. While very few dissections have managed to get much information about mimics, the prevailing belief is that the scales are their organs, and they rarely take their natural forms enough to be in danger of injuring them. This is why the scales themselves are protected by their changed forms, because injury to the scales could be fatal.Tongues
Mimic tongues are rolled up inside of them, and they are the only thing that is consistent in every form they take, whether inanimate object or living creature: the tongue, when visible, is incredibly long and can stretch up to ten yards. They use their tongues to bring food into their mouths, digesting anything that enters their bodies. For Zherarian Mimics, the tongues are also poisonous. For Detser Mimics, the tongues are very dry, while Ishadan and Modan Mimics have slippery, wet tongues that are described by most as "disgusting".Diet
Mimics are carnivores, and they will eat any creature they can get their tongues on. For Modan Mimics, they love eating humanoids, especially Korvians, and the same can be said for Lorevite and Zherarian Mimics. Ishadan Mimics, on the other hand, prefer the beasts native to Ishada, and Detser Mimic take whatever they can get, as food is scarce in the desert (leading them to be more easily domesticated, as any food provided can make a Detser Mimic like you).Lifespan
Mimics cannot age, as they can change their bodily functions at will, and so they do not have a natural lifespan.Reproduction and Growth
Mimics can reproduce asexually, laying eggs made of their own bodily tissue. They can lay up to fifteen at a time, and the new mimics are nearly identical to the parent, though their brains (or whatever mimics have) are different, and they behave differently. There is no hive mind nor are they exact clones, but simply genetically identical children. Mimic eggs blend in with their surroundings, as the parents change their shape to be either mundane natural objects if they are in nature, furniture or decorations if they are domesticated, or simply to make them blend in with the walls or floor if there are no other options. In some markets, they sell for high prices, and they are a staple of Ishadan and Emetian cuisine. While mimics are capable of growing in infancy after hatching, they do not fully mature until their shapeshifting ability can be controlled, which is usually about one or two years into their lives, after they've experienced enough danger to know they must adapt to survive.Habitat
Mimics can survive in any environment, as they are able to adapt to their surroundings. If anything can survive in there, mimics can take on those traits to live. This allowed them to spread around the world, as the objects they pretended to be were moved all over Totania by merchants, nomads, soldiers, diplomats, and adventurers of all sorts. There are likely types of mimics still unknown because they've reached such remote corners of the globe that they've never been discovered.Captain Commander Tavzion Mossense by Jarhed
Discovery
Mimics were a legend for a rather long period of history, dating back to the years following the Holy Rebellion, where Wood Elves swore they saw things in the woods that wouldn't be there the next day. Entire trees would move, rocks would bite anyone who touched them, and their arrows sometimes had minds of their own. It was one of the first missions that Captain Commander Tavzion Mossense ever led the Elven Guard on: searching for the strange moving objects in the Elven Forest. He came back empty-handed, but legends persisted. The first story of mimics actually being discovered comes, instead, from the Modan Peninsula, when the newly migrated Orcs, freshly arrived from the March of the Orcs, noticed that some of the items they'd brought with them from Camor and the Elven Forest were not what they had thought, but were instead alive. The first Modan Mimics had latched onto the Orcs as a way to migrate into a new habitat as well, and Amukk God Breaker is credited with first attributing them to one of the Gods they'd just escaped the clutches of:"Mimir's spies still haunt us, mimicking the few possessions we had in hopes of getting a closer look at his slaves. But we are slaves no more, and we will not allow him to torment us or observe us anymore!"
Mimic Species
- Detser Mimics are the most well-known kind, as they are most likely to take the form of treasure or artifacts found in the Uncharted Desert, where they live. They are not hostile, but fear those who approach them, which causes them to lash out and attack anyone who gets near. They can be tamed, and some heroes like Vodron Nutsk have tamed Detser Mimics in the past.
- Ishadan Mimics are found around the western coasts of Elone, from the Draconian villages to Saumart, but they were first discovered in Ishada. These mimics are creatures of legend, capable of turning into great monsters, at least according to Ishadan legend. Like their Detser counterparts, they are also likely to turn into small objects that would lure in food and ward off danger.
- Modan Mimics are the most violent and territorial species of Mimic, being the only species of Mimic to not only naturally defend their territory and those who approach them, but also to attack any who get close. The disguises of Modan Mimics are just to get close, and then they turn into something large and imposing that can overpower their opponents. It is said they picked up on these tactics from the violent Orcish culture of the Modan Peninsula and the Fields of Slaughter, where they are primarily found.
- Zherarian Mimics live in the Poisonous Swamps of Zherar, where they have adapted to their surroundings better than most. They are venomous creatures, lethal to the touch, and if they bite a target, their target will die a slow, painful death. It is said that most Anurans can spot a Zherarian Mimic from afar, while Lizardfolk have a natural sense to avoid them.
- Lorevite Mimics live beneath the Northern Sea, taking on the shapes of sea shells and other underwater objects. They congregate around shipwrecks and other ruins, where they are safe, but sometimes approach the shore, where they attack lone swimmers, divers or those caught in shipwrecks.
- Shafaian Mimics are the most docile Mimics, being tamed early on by Fairies and later brought over to Iganjojo by Shafaians. They can be trained to listen to commands and turn into anything, but otherwise take on a natural form resembling the wood of the Shafaian jungles, as it soothes the nature-loving Shafaian residents.
- Lusiscian Mimics also known as Forest Mimics are found primarily in the Elven Forest, where they hide among the magical beasts and plants of the woods. They are said to possess magical abilities unlike other Mimics, granting them the capability of producing spells or other magical phenomena. As with many wonders of the Elven Forest, they are likely only seen when it is already too late. Their name derives from Lyvidiel Lusisce, the Elf who is credited with their discovery.
- Mountain Mimics are very similar to Lusician Mimics, but due to the Dwarven refusal to admit that the Elves discovered it first, they created a new classification, insisting that Mimics (who adapt to their environment quite well) needed to change for the mountainous terrain. Most observations tied to this are disregarded by scholars, though there is some agreement that there is less of a need for Mountain Mimics to always be hiding, as fewer creatures discover them. Thus, it is said that if one were particularly stealthy, one would be able to see a Mountian Mimic's true form, while Lusician Mimics are always hiding. Yellow Hornets soldiers camp around Mountain Mimics, as the shifting of their forms often alerts the assassins of the squad to the presence of outsiders.
Amukk God Breaker by Jarhed
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