Cyclops (Heroes of Might and Magic I)

Cyclops
General information
Universe	Might and Magic
Aliases	Frozen Highland Cyclops Slayer's Cyclops
Classification	Stomatops slayeri
Species type	Cyclops
Homeworld	Enroth
Environment	Frozen Highland
Intelligence	Sapient
Biochemistry	Carbon-based lifeform
Discovered	1110
Discoverer	Lord Slayer (presumed)
Biological information
Reproduction	Sexual; gives live birth
Locomotion	Bipedal
Feeding behavior	Omnivorous (presumed)
Distinctive features	Able to fire an eye beam that paralyzes their targets
Eye color	Red, with yellowed sclera
Skin color	Dark
Lineage information
Related species	Jadame Cyclops Krashaw Cyclops
Cultural information
Alignment	Neutral Evil (presumed)
Affiliation(s)	Barbarians of the Frozen Highland
Capital city	Castle Slayer
Leaders	Lord Slayer
Sociocultral characteristics
Scientific taxonomy
Planet	Enroth
Domain	Eukaryota
Kingdom	Animalia
Subkingdom	Eumetazoa
Infrakingdom	Bilateria
Superphylum	Deuterostomia
Phylum	Chordata
Subphylum	Vertebrata
Infraphylum	Gnathostomata
Superclass	Tetrapoda
Class	Mammalia (Mammals)
Subclass	Theriiformes (Mammals more closely related to therians than to monotremes)
Infraclass	Holotheria
Superorder	Archonta (Primates, treeshrews, and colugos)
Order	Primates (Primates)
Suborder	Haplorhini (Dry-nosed Primates)
Infraorder	Simiiformes (Simians)
Superfamily	Hominoidea
Family	Hominidae
Subfamily	Cyclopsinae (Cyclopes) (Somarinoa, 2020)
Genus	Stomatops "Cease Eye" (Cyclopes with paralyzing eye beams) (Somarinoa, 2020)
Species	S. slayeri (Somarinoa, 2020)
Other information
Status	Extinct
First sighting	1110 AS
Last sighting	1175 AS
Possible population	0

Cyclopes (also known here on All Species as Frozen Highland Cyclopes or Slayer's Cyclopes to differentiate them from other Cyclops species) (Stomatops slayeri) were a species of Cease-eye Cyclops indigenous to the Frozen Highland of the kingdom of Enroth, in the continent of Enroth, on the planet of Enroth. As members of the Cease-eye Cyclopes, they are closely related to Krashaw Cyclopes and Jadame Cyclopes.

Physiology

Slayer's Cyclops are giant humanoids with dark skin, clawed fingers, pointed ears, and most notably, a singular eye. They are the only known dark-skinned Cyclops species in Enroth, Erathia, or Ashan and this may be due to their frozen home environments as the darker skin possibly absorbs more sunlight and heat to keep themselves from freezing, though this is only speculation. Considering that they are otherwise hairless and do not possess obvious blubber and may not have the mass to heat their own blood, this could lead credence to the hypothesis. If their eye beams are a death ray, they may also store solar radiation to shoot their eye beams.

The species do not appear to take dental hygiene seriously and they have notably yellowed and mismatched teeth. Given their similarity to modern-day humans it can be assumed that they are omnivorous by nature.

Since they only have a single eye, they lack depth perception and it is likely that their large, pointed ears help them hone in on their targets to make up for this disadvantage. An ability of the Slayer's Cyclops is in their eye: When blasting opponents with their eye laser, they can cause paralysis through unknown (though likely magical) means.

Behavior

A Barbarian settlement filled with Slayer's Cyclops, as well as goblins, ogres, orcs, trolls, VARN-4 humans, and wolves.

Slayer's Cyclops are aggressive in battle but appear to have formed a peaceful alliance—at least for a short period of time before being overshadowed by related Cyclops species of the nearby regions—with other local sapient species including the Krashaw goblins, wolves; the orcs, ogres, and trolls of the Frozen Highland; and local VARN-4 Humans who have chosen to follow the leadership of Lord Slayer as one of the many barbarian tribes dotting the region. They construct and live within large stepped pyramids. When built within the confines of barbarian settlements, they are generally found close to the entrance, possibly to make their response to defense-oriented situations quicker.

History

This species of Cyclops aligned themselves with the barbarian Lord Slayer to aid him and other barbarian heroes during the First War of Enrothian Succession that took place between the 1110s-1120s AS. They were there during the Battle of Gateway but fled with the other barbarian forces back to the Frozen Highland after Morglin Ironfist defeated the dragon guardians of the town of Gateway. They were there as well during the Battle of the Archipelago of the Ancients, the Battle of the Wounded Land, and the Battle of Central Enroth though their forces were defeated at each of these locations. Morglin Ironfist followed up these battles by invading the wastes of the Frozen Highland and subduing Lord Slayer's forces first. Ultimately they joined forces with the Sorceresses and Warlocks to try and defeat Ironfist at the Battle of the Dragon Citadel but they were once again defeated.

By 1151 AS, the species had lost or abandoned their alignment with the barbarians and were replaced with Krashaw Cyclopes.

In 1175 AS, the Reckoning occurred due to the magical items known as Armageddon's Blade and the Sword of Frost clashed. This destroyed the entire continent of Enroth, though a few straggling survivors were able to flee into various portals ripping through the world that led them to the new planet, Axeoth. Likely due to having dropped their alliance with the barbarians as a whole, or due to the region's general fear of magic in the first place, the Slayer's Cyclopes did not pass through into the next world and have never been recorded on the continent of Jadame following the Reckoning and are thus now considered extinct.

Appearances

• Heroes of Might and Magic: A Strategic Quest (First appearance)