Lepidlanvhi created the Motti based off of the butterflies and moths she observed in the natural world.
The little creatures were beautiful, yet fragile. She wanted to create something in their image, wrought with beauty but more sturdy to handle the dangers of the world. 

In Lucerna, infusion is a common method of reproduction, not just amongst the anthroids but amongst the beasts as well. Keystones are concentrated spheres of magic that bubble up deep from within the earth, usually from thermal or underground springs. These keystones are what Lepid used to create the first Motti.

When an inert keystone is infused with manai, the essence of light, and slowly hardens over time it becomes a Lepistone. The time may fluctuate depending on the concentration of essence and the rate at which it absorbs the essence, but it will take at least one year to harden. Once hardened, the keystone becomes a yellow-green Lepistone. The outer layer of the lepistone will crumble as the egg within forms a firm shell and expands rapidly over time. Once around the size of a canteloupe, these eggs will then begin to incubate as they form Motti within them. These eggs may lay dormant for decades before they're ready to hatch while they continue to absorb a variety of magical essences located in the environment. This is called passive infusion and it can take upwards of fifty years for a Lepidstone to hatch in this way. With passive infusion, the egg will absorb traits from things directly around it's environment, including other anthroids, which will help determine what subspecies the Motti becomes once it hatches.

Currently, the process is more often sped up with a modern infusion technique, driving the waiting time down to about a year. Magical essences are extracted from various elements, fauna or flora, or any other items and instead poured onto or injected directly into the egg, which instantly absorbs the essences. Once absorbed, the process cannot be reversed, and those essences will directly determine what subspecies the Motti may become, though there is not an exact science to forcing a particular subspecies. Modern infusion is the primary way of creating the Dyamotti subspecies, as they are extremely rare to form through passive infusion.

When the egg is ready to hatch, it will begin to glow, though will not hatch until the next Starfall. Starfall is a natural cosmic occurance that happens on the night of the full moons, where there are meteors that fall all through the night and following day. 

A nymph will hatch from the egg, often yellow or green in color initially. The Nymphs will have two sets of arms and fluffy nubs where their antenna will grow. Nymphs also have little chunky nub tails that help them balance as they learn to walk. More often than not, Nymphs will crawl on their bellies, using their second, lower set of arms to walk. The Nymph stage typically lasts 16-20 years.

Nymphs grow very quickly as they continue to absorb magical essences from their environment. Around age 5, their fluffy nub antenna begin to shift into their subspecies antenna, fully transforming within a month. Though their subspecies are already determined, they may continue to absorb a variety of essences in a sort of manasynthesis as they continue to grow. Their antenna are direct visual representations of how healthy the Nymphs are and how well they're growing. After age 6, ideally the antenna will have grown comically large, often shedding and growing longer as they continue to absorb and purify essences. Unlike adult antenna which may be harvested once loaded with essence, nymph antenna do not retain magical potency as they shed or pop off. When nymphs have their antenna removed regularly, or are prevented from absorbing a healthy amount of essence, their antenna will wither and shrink. Accompanying this visual change is a very obvious, physical ailment where their second set of arms drop limply by their side and they may have rings of darker colors around their abdomens and nub tails. If they enter they chrysalis stage in a withered state, they may not come out of it. It's very important that as they reach the chrysalis stage that they are vibrant white, yellow, and/or green.

When a nymph is ready, their antenna will drip a sticky, glowing, yarn-like substance. Instinctively the nymph will start wrapping themselves in this substance. The time it takes for a nymph to build their chrysalis can vary greatly depending on their health. In modern times, families will dedicate a temporary shrine where the nymphs will enter their chrysalis stage safely and comfortably. In caretaker lodges, there are usually garden shrines dedicated to this stage as well. In terms of public settlements, towns and cities, there is often a public Chrysalis Shrine, looked after by Caretakers and Clerics to let those who have grown up wild or with no families a place to safely transform.

In the Chyrsalis Stage, all Nymphs liquify and reform into their adult forms. Typically they will mirror the markings they had as nymphs, but it is possible to become an adult who looks completely different, however the subspecies cannot change in this process. They will remain the same subspecies that they were as a nymph. As adults, they will shed their second set of arms. They will gain ears and tails specified by their subtypes and their ears may change from the typical floppy or pointed to their dictated subspecies's ears.

On the outside of the chrysalis, the chrysalis will glow until the transformation is complete or the nymph passes on. If the transformation is successful, the white yarn-like substance will wither to varying shades of green and take on a straw-like texture. The fully fledged adult will push through them when they are ready, though at this stage it is safe to remove the green straw to assist them. It is typically frowned upon to break open a chrysalis however, especially when it's healthy.

If the transformation is unsuccessful and the nymph passes, the white glowing yarn will dim and wither to a black straw. Over the course of a few days to a few weeks, the black straw will continue to crumble, eventually crackling into black dust. To interact with the chrysalis that has turned black is considered bad luck and those who do may temporarily be cursed by Unluckies. It is only safe to clean up the failed chrysalis once it crumbles into black dust, losing it's shape. For this reason, many refuse to touch the black dust or go near failed chrysalis pods. Shrine Keepers or Priests of the Guiding Light may clean up the remains without becoming cursed.

Once entering the Adult stage, Motti will grow very slowly over time, capping out of growing around 50 years of age. They do not have growth spurts and don't typically grow very large. Most Motti will fall between 80-150cm as adults. While abnormal, there has been recorded incidents of certain Motti reaching 200cm. 

This is the winding down stage of a Motti's natural life. At this stage, Motti's typically hunch over and have arched necks. Their ears begin to droop and their antenna no longer regrow, and instead turn white and begin to wither. This stage can last decades as the Motti's health and magical abilities naturally decline. Once the antenna wither to coarse nubs, reminiscent of their nymph antenna, they can no longer perform magic and within the span of a few years, will begin to physically wither. Their fur becomes pale, coarse and fragile, breaking off and quickly deteriorating into typically yellow or green dust. Starting at the extremeties, they begin to crack and wither, with their markings and colors fading into white, yellow or light green. When the final day comes, the Motti will remain still and motionless, taking in slow breaths as their bodies begin to crumble. The time it takes the body to crumble typically ranges from a few hours to a few weeks, but never lasts more than a month naturally. During the crumbling phase, they often don't feel much pain, despite the unsettling crackling and crumbling spreading across their bodies.

As the Motti draws its final breath, the body becomes fragile as the last of the magical energy disperses into the environment. The body is a shell of dust which easily crumbles when disturbed by the wind or other sources. Many Motti will take small amounts of the dust of their loved ones and infuse it into jewelry or wind chimes which are hung in shrines or in homes. Dust Chimes are sacred and respected, and if one finds they want to let their loved ones go, may leave the chimes at a Shrine to be cared for by Clerics. It is not uncommon to use the dust of a loved one to reinfuse new keystones.

There are many ways that honor those who have passed. It is also natural to gather the dust and spread it on or around places the former Motti loved. Despite the dust retaining immense magical potency, it is taboo to use Motti dust for any type of enchanting or infusion outside of very specific rituals.

The process remains similar. Regardless of what stage of life a motti is in, when they are injured the color may drain from the fur as the magical essence withing the body attempts to repair the problem. If the injury is too great or the motti has lost too much blood, then within a matter of minutes, the antenna will wither down to nubs. If this happens, there is no saving them. The passing may happen between a few hours to a few weeks, but much like the natural withering stage, it will happen within a month even with magical healing and intervention.

A stark difference for Motti in comparison to other anthroids is they can lose their limbs and tails without bleeding out. While it is considered a grave injury, a Motti can pluck their antenna and rub it into their freshly severed injury and effectively cauterize the wound. There are still chances for the afflicted area to become infected if medical treatment isn't sought, but more often than not, the motti can and will survive these types of injuries, even growing back their limbs if it is a physical injury and not a magical one.

Aside from antenna, each subspecies will have identifying ears and tails, though these may be altered through magic or potions. By default, Motti ears may be erect or floppy and do not need magic or potions to switch between these two types.