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Description

Kamacuras

Intro: Skull Island is home to many dangerous kaiju. Such beasts as Kong and Gorosaurus, undoubtedly the apex predators of the island’s ecosystem, are among the most well-known and revered of these beings. Many of the most feared beings, however, are not as obvious. Many smaller types of florafauna blend almost seamlessly into the environment, and are much more likely to view human-sized beings as potential prey. Among even these, there is a species that evokes more fear from the native Iwi and visiting researchers than any other. A race of deadly mantid kaiju, overseen by their merciless matriarch, “Kamacuras”…

Story: During the early 1890s, English naturalist Professor Challenger acquired the salvaged field notes and diaries of a friend whom had disappeared during an expedition into the unexplored regions of South America. The almost illegible texts, which were promptly ignored by the rest of the scientific community, made startling claims of extraordinary lifeforms that lived within an uncharted plateau in the upper Amazon. Despite the ridicule of his fellow scientists, the eccentric Professor eventually launched his own expedition a few short years later. Though this party would suffer heavy casualties, the Professor returned with the claim that this “lost world” did indeed exist, and that he had managed to procure a living “specimen” as prove. Unfortunately, the very night it was to be revealed to science, the “specimen” disappeared. Though the Professor would claim that it must have escaped into the streets of London, he would ultimately be labeled as a fraud and lose all credibility, and the fact there were at least three strange murders across the city didn’t help to improve the reputation of that night, despite them being regarded as nothing more than coincidences. And though the anticlimactical presentation was lauded by many newspapers, only one tabloid would go on to publish an overheard interview with the desperate Professor in which he describes a creature with “leathery wings” and “twig-like limbs”. This same tabloid would erroneously assume the creature to have been a pterodactyl, despite the Professor’s insistence that it was no reptile. That same year, a strange flying object or creature was reported by several ships across the Atlantic, apparently heading towards Brazil. Later, one ship was found to have been stripped of her crew, with signs of a brutal slaughter aboard. Almost a decade later, in 1907, a similar string of reports made a trail towards the arctic. A small tribe of Eskimos was found to have been tragically wiped out, with the only survivor stating that they had been attacked by a “ghostly devil”.

These events, along with the late Professor’s notes, would serve as the basis for new expeditions, this time by FATHOM after the discovery of Godzilla in 1954. Just three years later, in 1957, an exploration of the arctic region resulted in the discovery of a massive, dormant insectoid kaiju, resembling a huge mantis. A research facility was built around this creature, and was dubbed “Kamacuras” by Japanese members of the FATHOM teams. Two similar creatures were also found in the rediscovered plateau in Venezuela. These three specimens were classified as a new kaiju super species; Gimantis bioraptor. Remains of other kaiju were also discovered within the plateau, and seemed to have all been violently killed off decades earlier by the now-dormant female. It was speculated she did this to eliminate competition for the other members of her species before heading for a more remote place to process the energy obtained from such a massive feast. Things became more complicated when, in 1967, the two Venezuelan gimantids reactivated, forcing the plateau’s research station to be converted into a containment facility. Though they would cause several fatalities over the years, these two specimens were, for a time, some of FATHOM’s most valuable assets in kaiju research.

Later, as kaiju entered the eyes of the general public, the mantids seemed to sense the increasing kaiju activity across the globe. This led to Kamacuras reactivating and escaping the arctic facility. She produced high-frequency sonic pulses that drove the Venezuelan mantids, both males, into a frenzy. They escaped and headed northward, feeding ravenously, rapidly increasing in size and strength, and proving nearly impossible to track due to their extreme camouflaging abilities. They fought among each other until eventually, upon reaching Washington, D.C., the larger male managed to kill off the smaller one. He carried the body towards New York, where he rendezvoused with Kamacuras atop the Empire State Building, and offered the remains of the vanquished rival to his mate. Kamacuras accepted the offer, but as the air force attacked, decided it wasn’t enough, and promptly killed the other male as well. This done, she removed both males’ heads and reproductive organs, and flew off towards a certain uncharted island in the South Pacific. This “Deadly Mantid” incident, along with the earlier Mothra incident, would lead to the public revelation of Skull Island.

The gimantid species had been observed on the island during the 1973 expedition, and were responsible for many of the party’s deaths. After the return of Kamacuras to the island, though, their numbers took a drastic decline. And despite being observed stalking the Mothra Larvae and battling Gorosaurus, the mantis kaiju ultimately joined the dinosaur, lepidopteran, and primate kaiju in Skull Island’s battle against Godzilla. Though she was badly burned by the Leviathan’s atomic flame, she managed to creep back into the jungle, to live and hunt another day.

Abilities: Kamacuras is among the least massive of the major kaiju, but is not to be underestimated. Hers is a species that has evolved over millions of years for three things; hunting, killing, and surviving. A hydraulic muscular system gives her some of the quickest reflexes of any kaiju, and despite being lightly built, the honeycombed structure of her exoskeleton makes her more resistant to damaged than would first be assumed. This honeycomb design also gives her carapace some degree of malleability in places, making it more flexible as well as allowing her to change the texture of her armor, from smooth, veined and leaf-like, to rough and bark-like, and sometimes even sprouting thorns and spines. Her razor-bladed forelimbs strike quickly and precisely, and can quickly shred and tear smaller kaiju to pieces. Her mouthparts are a complex slicing and dicing mechanism that can quickly process almost any organic matter into slurry. Her vividly-patterned wings, normally folded tightly beneath an armored carapace, make for intimidating threat displays, and can generate enough thrust for flights at mach 3.

By far, however, Kamacuras’ greatest asset is camouflage. Her exoskeleton is coated with a thin, cuticle-like layer of what seems to be some form of organic crystalline substance. This material is still under investigation due to its’ impressive effects. In addition to providing an extra layer of buffer-armor, it seems to work in conjunction with her body’s electromagnetic impulses, making it capable of reflecting, redirecting, and projecting light across the visual, infrared, and radio spectrums. This, combined with her texture-changing carapace, makes her practically invisible to all by high ultraviolet and x-ray scans. Kamacuras is a primarily visual hunter, and is in possession of some of the most highly-developed photoreceptors of any recorded lifeform. Her vision ranges the entire ultraviolet, visual, and infrared spectrums, and even seem to detect patterns of energy and motion outside the realm of “vision”. Her antennae can also detect the slightest shifts in air pressure and scent. You may never see Kamacuras. But she can always see you.

The species also employs a highly effective survival strategy. Apart from natural reproductive, each individual gimantid also carries a neurologically-linked clone within the foremost cavity of the abdomens. This clone itself also carries a copy, and so forth, sometimes down to the size of a normal mantid. Should the primary body become damaged beyond repair, the clone will escape to continue the individual’s lineage. It is estimated that only complete destruction of the abdominal cavity would be enough to end a gimantid.

Character: Little is known of Kamacuras’ motives outside of her eternal hunting, which she does as much for sport as for sustenance. Interestingly, it seems that, while she enjoys hunting a diverse range of prey, she takes a particular interest in her own kind. It is speculated that this may be a sort of self-preservation method, as keeping her own species’ numbers in check ultimately means less interference from the likes of Gorosaurus or Kong. Nevertheless, Kamacuras seems to be especially violent towards the Alpha Archosaur, almost seeming to take pleasure in taunting him. She is no fool, though, and knows when to vanish when she’s obviously outmatched. This differentiates her from most other members of her species, as most gimantids will hunt their prey until it is dead, or they are. She seems to be especially territorial around some of the deeper jungles, where it is rumored she may by hiding an ootheca; and eventually, her true successor.

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Apologies for the delay. This one took awhile to set down.
----------
Kamacuras is copyrighted by Toho.

Description

Kamacuras

Intro: Skull Island is home to many dangerous kaiju. Such beasts as Kong and Gorosaurus, undoubtedly the apex predators of the island’s ecosystem, are among the most well-known and revered of these beings. Many of the most feared beings, however, are not as obvious. Many smaller types of florafauna blend almost seamlessly into the environment, and are much more likely to view human-sized beings as potential prey. Among even these, there is a species that evokes more fear from the native Iwi and visiting researchers than any other. A race of deadly mantid kaiju, overseen by their merciless matriarch, “Kamacuras”…

Story: During the early 1890s, English naturalist Professor Challenger acquired the salvaged field notes and diaries of a friend whom had disappeared during an expedition into the unexplored regions of South America. The almost illegible texts, which were promptly ignored by the rest of the scientific community, made startling claims of extraordinary lifeforms that lived within an uncharted plateau in the upper Amazon. Despite the ridicule of his fellow scientists, the eccentric Professor eventually launched his own expedition a few short years later. Though this party would suffer heavy casualties, the Professor returned with the claim that this “lost world” did indeed exist, and that he had managed to procure a living “specimen” as prove. Unfortunately, the very night it was to be revealed to science, the “specimen” disappeared. Though the Professor would claim that it must have escaped into the streets of London, he would ultimately be labeled as a fraud and lose all credibility, and the fact there were at least three strange murders across the city didn’t help to improve the reputation of that night, despite them being regarded as nothing more than coincidences. And though the anticlimactical presentation was lauded by many newspapers, only one tabloid would go on to publish an overheard interview with the desperate Professor in which he describes a creature with “leathery wings” and “twig-like limbs”. This same tabloid would erroneously assume the creature to have been a pterodactyl, despite the Professor’s insistence that it was no reptile. That same year, a strange flying object or creature was reported by several ships across the Atlantic, apparently heading towards Brazil. Later, one ship was found to have been stripped of her crew, with signs of a brutal slaughter aboard. Almost a decade later, in 1907, a similar string of reports made a trail towards the arctic. A small tribe of Eskimos was found to have been tragically wiped out, with the only survivor stating that they had been attacked by a “ghostly devil”.

These events, along with the late Professor’s notes, would serve as the basis for new expeditions, this time by FATHOM after the discovery of Godzilla in 1954. Just three years later, in 1957, an exploration of the arctic region resulted in the discovery of a massive, dormant insectoid kaiju, resembling a huge mantis. A research facility was built around this creature, and was dubbed “Kamacuras” by Japanese members of the FATHOM teams. Two similar creatures were also found in the rediscovered plateau in Venezuela. These three specimens were classified as a new kaiju super species; Gimantis bioraptor. Remains of other kaiju were also discovered within the plateau, and seemed to have all been violently killed off decades earlier by the now-dormant female. It was speculated she did this to eliminate competition for the other members of her species before heading for a more remote place to process the energy obtained from such a massive feast. Things became more complicated when, in 1967, the two Venezuelan gimantids reactivated, forcing the plateau’s research station to be converted into a containment facility. Though they would cause several fatalities over the years, these two specimens were, for a time, some of FATHOM’s most valuable assets in kaiju research.

Later, as kaiju entered the eyes of the general public, the mantids seemed to sense the increasing kaiju activity across the globe. This led to Kamacuras reactivating and escaping the arctic facility. She produced high-frequency sonic pulses that drove the Venezuelan mantids, both males, into a frenzy. They escaped and headed northward, feeding ravenously, rapidly increasing in size and strength, and proving nearly impossible to track due to their extreme camouflaging abilities. They fought among each other until eventually, upon reaching Washington, D.C., the larger male managed to kill off the smaller one. He carried the body towards New York, where he rendezvoused with Kamacuras atop the Empire State Building, and offered the remains of the vanquished rival to his mate. Kamacuras accepted the offer, but as the air force attacked, decided it wasn’t enough, and promptly killed the other male as well. This done, she removed both males’ heads and reproductive organs, and flew off towards a certain uncharted island in the South Pacific. This “Deadly Mantid” incident, along with the earlier Mothra incident, would lead to the public revelation of Skull Island.

The gimantid species had been observed on the island during the 1973 expedition, and were responsible for many of the party’s deaths. After the return of Kamacuras to the island, though, their numbers took a drastic decline. And despite being observed stalking the Mothra Larvae and battling Gorosaurus, the mantis kaiju ultimately joined the dinosaur, lepidopteran, and primate kaiju in Skull Island’s battle against Godzilla. Though she was badly burned by the Leviathan’s atomic flame, she managed to creep back into the jungle, to live and hunt another day.

Abilities: Kamacuras is among the least massive of the major kaiju, but is not to be underestimated. Hers is a species that has evolved over millions of years for three things; hunting, killing, and surviving. A hydraulic muscular system gives her some of the quickest reflexes of any kaiju, and despite being lightly built, the honeycombed structure of her exoskeleton makes her more resistant to damaged than would first be assumed. This honeycomb design also gives her carapace some degree of malleability in places, making it more flexible as well as allowing her to change the texture of her armor, from smooth, veined and leaf-like, to rough and bark-like, and sometimes even sprouting thorns and spines. Her razor-bladed forelimbs strike quickly and precisely, and can quickly shred and tear smaller kaiju to pieces. Her mouthparts are a complex slicing and dicing mechanism that can quickly process almost any organic matter into slurry. Her vividly-patterned wings, normally folded tightly beneath an armored carapace, make for intimidating threat displays, and can generate enough thrust for flights at mach 3.

By far, however, Kamacuras’ greatest asset is camouflage. Her exoskeleton is coated with a thin, cuticle-like layer of what seems to be some form of organic crystalline substance. This material is still under investigation due to its’ impressive effects. In addition to providing an extra layer of buffer-armor, it seems to work in conjunction with her body’s electromagnetic impulses, making it capable of reflecting, redirecting, and projecting light across the visual, infrared, and radio spectrums. This, combined with her texture-changing carapace, makes her practically invisible to all by high ultraviolet and x-ray scans. Kamacuras is a primarily visual hunter, and is in possession of some of the most highly-developed photoreceptors of any recorded lifeform. Her vision ranges the entire ultraviolet, visual, and infrared spectrums, and even seem to detect patterns of energy and motion outside the realm of “vision”. Her antennae can also detect the slightest shifts in air pressure and scent. You may never see Kamacuras. But she can always see you.

The species also employs a highly effective survival strategy. Apart from natural reproductive, each individual gimantid also carries a neurologically-linked clone within the foremost cavity of the abdomens. This clone itself also carries a copy, and so forth, sometimes down to the size of a normal mantid. Should the primary body become damaged beyond repair, the clone will escape to continue the individual’s lineage. It is estimated that only complete destruction of the abdominal cavity would be enough to end a gimantid.

Character: Little is known of Kamacuras’ motives outside of her eternal hunting, which she does as much for sport as for sustenance. Interestingly, it seems that, while she enjoys hunting a diverse range of prey, she takes a particular interest in her own kind. It is speculated that this may be a sort of self-preservation method, as keeping her own species’ numbers in check ultimately means less interference from the likes of Gorosaurus or Kong. Nevertheless, Kamacuras seems to be especially violent towards the Alpha Archosaur, almost seeming to take pleasure in taunting him. She is no fool, though, and knows when to vanish when she’s obviously outmatched. This differentiates her from most other members of her species, as most gimantids will hunt their prey until it is dead, or they are. She seems to be especially territorial around some of the deeper jungles, where it is rumored she may by hiding an ootheca; and eventually, her true successor.

----------
Apologies for the delay. This one took awhile to set down.
----------
Kamacuras is copyrighted by Toho.