Artist's brush mantis

Artist's brush mantis is an Official GemStone IV Document, and it is protected from editing.

Artist's Brush Mantis

With an elongated thorax and slender vert-colored body, it is easy to mistake an artist’s brush mantis for… a simple paintbrush.

Found clasping across the drooping branches of the aeunarad tree, these slim insects are often carried away by errant gusts of wind, often landing in the reeds and grasses. One tale tells of an uninspired art student, his despair compounded in a haze of thuja and belien mead, dropping his beloved instrument into the grass beside his favorite aeunarad. In his confusion and intoxication, the young man reached down to retrieve his paintbrush, discovering only the emerald green mantis waving at him with its threadlike antennae.

According to the student, the surprise mantis inspired his renowned collections of still life paintings, all featuring the juxtaposition of the artist’s brush mantis as a series of instruments. “Ennui No More,” for example, showcases an ink-dipped mantis cleverly creating calligraphic strokes as its antennae appear to glide across a sheet of parchment.

OOC Information/Notes

• Created by GM Elysani, July 2024, with the guidance of lore guru GM Xynwen and QC by GM Mariath.