Pakirasa Monarchs are the rarest kind of Pakirasa. There is only ever at most one per swarm, and only few swarms have a Monarch. It is fairly easy to determine whether a swarm is guided by a Monarch, however. Like all Rahi, Pakirasa are primarily instinct driven. If a Pakirasa Monarch is present, the actions of Workers and Soldiers become much more coordinated, and normally uncharacteristic behaviour, such as Soldiers only protecting specific tunnels, can also be observed. Additionally, swarms ruled by Monarchs can reach up to 400 individuals.
As all Pakirasa, Monarchs are highly territorial. Unless perceived as particular threats, they will leave individual intruders to the normal behaviour of the Soldiers, but other Pakirasa swarms - especially ones also led by Monarchs - are systematically attacked in outright wars and either absorbed or wiped out.
Pakirasa Monarchs are intelligent to a degree - somewhat below the level of Visorak. They can learn to understand the Matoran language and speak it, though usually a Kanohi Rau is needed for interaction. The limited sapience of the Monarchs prevents them from understanding or using for example lies or sarcasm, however. They also cannot understand non-material concepts.
Pakirasa Monarchs, like all Pakirasa, feed on crystals dug up by the Workers. They will however only eat Elemental Crystals like Lightstones or Heatstones (the latter of which other Pakirasa can’t eat). The consumption of these Elemental Crystals grants the Pakirasa Monarchs the powers of these. Av-Monarchs are thus for example capable of creating blinding light to frighten away or even hurt many underground species, while Ta-Monarchs can emit powerful waves of heat and have resistance to both heat and cold. To refill power reserves they have used up, more Elemental Crystals need to be consumed, though only one power can be harnessed at a time. The price for this ability is a short lifespan, however, as the energies of the crystals over time damage the Monarch’s systems. Hardly any Monarchs grow older than 5000 to 8000 years.
Otherwise, Pakirasa Monarchs possess the same tough armor as Workers, and also share the excellent night vision with their brethren. Their seismic sense is very keen, enabling Av-Monarchs to use their powers without fear. While they can’t fly with their wings, they can use them to channel their powers, and they also double as sensors for air movement. The front legs of Pakirasa Monarchs are fairly short, but can work well as hands. Their claws are also extremely sharp, making them very dangerous if an opponent gets too close. Workers and Soldiers will closely guard their Monarch and would sacrifice themselves without hesitation to protect it.
Without the scepter. Was just some addition I thought would make teh first picture more interesting. Imagine it was taken from a Turaga or represents “Wavestone” on top a stick, if you want.
Size comparison:
And here we are, that’s three Pakirasa subspecies done. I believe I promised a side-byside picture. The bodies are all the same size, the Soldier is just longer due to the claws and the Monarch taller due to the wings - so them being smaller than the Worker on the pictures is misleading.
Otherwise, not much to say. It was fun building these, but that’ll be it now.
As always, hope you enjoy and C&C appreciated!